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Teens struggle to find summer work in recession
by Jonathan Cribbs
Jonathan@dekalbchamp.com
 Hayden Breiting knows what the term “recession” means in pure, illustrative fashion. It means the last two jobs he got – one at a Decatur Mexican restaurant, the other at a car wash – were awarded to him seconds after he turned in an application, both before the recession.
It means, now, in the recession’s midst, he’s turned in applications to 12 businesses. Not only did none of them hire him, most said they weren’t hiring even though they were accepting applications.
“Everybody seems overstaffed rather than understaffed,” said Breiting, 18, who said he graduated from Decatur High School last year. “It’s pretty discouraging.” Welcome to your first recession, kids.
As job losses continue to weaken the American workforce, teens are finding it increasingly difficult to find work. They’re not only competing with classmates anymore – they’re competing with adults.
“Due to numerous layoffs and company closures our community is facing, the face of our workforce has changed dramatically,” said Sheryl Chapman, director of DeKalb County’s workforce development program. “Jobs that were typically considered entry-level or required only minimal skills were once filled by teenagers; now you have highly skilled adults with families competing with teens for these positions.”
DeKalb County has responded to the problem with more than $2 million from the federal government awarded to the county last month, she said. That money will go toward youth employment preparation, summer school and remedial training and pre-apprenticeships between May and September – most of it to prepare students for the workforce after they finish high school or college, Chapman said.
But her program is advising students to start the summer job search early and to consider jobs to which they might previously have been averse. DeKalb Workforce Development assists more than 400 students each year, Chapman said, and expects to assist another 800 this summer with the federal dollars.
“Teens need to be involved in activities that will engage and spark their interests in educational and career goals,” she said. “We encourage volunteerism with local churches, community organizations, et cetera, to gain valuable work experience and transferrable skills. Whether paid or unpaid work experience, these opportunities allow teens to build their resumes for future employment.”
Rosie Parker, a Decatur High School sophomore, isn’t assured about her prospects this summer. She stood outside Decatur High earlier this month, teasing her boyfriend, senior Dessua Lewis. He has a job at a local skating rink and has worked there for six months to pay for college and car expenses.
Parker doesn’t have lofty financial goals. She pledged to “get it” and “spend it” on “stuff” – if she could find a job. “They might not be hiring at all at any places,” she said. “That would be bad. … I’d [like to] start buying clothes for summer, car, new phone.”
Breiting’s concerns were a little bit more serious, particularly if he can’t find a job.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’d have to find a way to pay rent.”
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