Summer Job Forecast for teens Not Sunny

[marmar]

from snagajob.com:



Summer Job Forecast Not Sunny; One in two managers to forego seasonal hiring, SnagAJob.com survey finds; more than half also say youth work ethic isn’t what it used to be


RICHMOND, Va., March 24, 2008 – Teenagers looking for summer employment in the weeks and months ahead are likely to find fewer “help wanted” signs this year. Nearly half (49%) of hiring managers at traditional hourly employment standbys such as retailers and restaurants say they do not intend to take on any new seasonal workers in 2008, a consequence of the uncertain economy.

Compounding the economic conditions is the fact that hiring managers who do plan on hiring are less than impressed with the work ethic that teens bring to the work place. More than half of those surveyed (56%) agreed with the statement that “today’s youth do not have the same work ethic as previous generations have had.”

But according to SnagAJob.com, the nation’s leading online source of hourly jobs that commissioned the survey of more than 1,000 summer employers, teens who are persistent and demonstrate the right attitude will markedly increase their odds of landing a job, a sentiment that hiring managers echo. Four in 10 hiring managers (39%) say the most important thing they look for in an applicant is a positive attitude and an eagerness to want the job.

“Employers are facing an uncertain summer and anticipating slower-than-normal sales, which have led to tighter budgets,” said Shawn Boyer, CEO of SnagAJob.com. “This one-two punch will make this summer a challenging job market for teens and others. The news, however, is not all bad. There will be jobs for the filling, but applicants should plan on hitting the Web or pavement early, making a professional impression and being conscientious about their search.”

Of the employers who indicated that they would do no hiring this summer:

* 31 percent say they do not have the budget this year to add employees,
* 18 percent anticipate their business levels will be down.

At businesses that do expect to be hiring, managers are suggesting that applicants will be competing against more job seekers:

* A whopping 93 percent predict they will receive more or the same number of applications as last year (Plus, many open positions will go to returning workers.)
* 36 percent predict of seasonal positions will go to new employees; the remaining 64 percent will be staffed by those who previously have held a summer job for that company or location.

“In a tighter market, summer workers are going to need to prove their mettle, or there likely will be someone waiting in the wings to take their place,” Boyer said. “In previous research, we’ve found that nearly nine in 10 Americans have had an hourly job at one point in their lives, and summer jobs are often the first place we learn basic job skills. Given many employers’ perceptions about young workers, teens have an opportunity to go against this stereotype, proving themselves as hard workers and a group that’s very motivated to find a summer job.” .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.snagajob.com/press/summer-job-forecast-2008.aspx