MarketWatch: Teens Can Still Find Summer Jobs
Your teen wants to make money this summer, but jobs are scarce and competition is fierce. So what's a hopeful young worker to do?</br></br>Traditional summer spots, such as working at a summer camp, may already be filled. But other opportunities remain for those with creativity and the will to pound the pavement, experts say.</br></br>"They have got to be really tenacious," says Renee Ward, founder of career site Teens4Hire.org. "There is a lot of talent in the market that business owners can choose from. The younger and the inexperienced are definitely going to be floundering this summer."</br></br>The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for 16- to 19-year-olds hit 21.5% in April, compared with the overall rate of 8.9%, according to the Labor Department.</br></br>Teens face such a tough uphill battle during a recession because they have less experience than other workers and are easier for employers to let go, says Harry Holzer, a professor at Georgetown University and former chief economist at the Labor Department. Plus, teens face stiff competition for jobs from older job hunters and immigrants.