In such a tough economy, there are few job openings available for teens due to so many men and women being laid off. A part-time job can be very difficult for a teenager, or anyone to find, but there are some who are persistent, lucky, or both.
Penn Manor secretary, Dian Alston, said that approximately 300 work permits or working papers are given out to students in the Penn Manor area a year; this is about 17% of students in Penn Manor.
Ryan Krause, a junior who has been searching for a job for three years, said “I applied at multiple places, but with the economy the way it is, I haven’t gotten any calls returned.”
According to a random survey among Penn Manor students, only eight out of twenty-five students have a job, most of whom have been looking for a part-time job for about two years.
For some, age is a factor. The survey shows that fewer freshmen and sophomore students have jobs compared to junior and seniors.
For some it is because of inexperience, or that the job that they applied for was taken by someone older.
For whatever the reason, part-time jobs are becoming more scarce, making it difficult for teens to pay for gas, car insurance or even to hang out with friends. But there are jobs out there, you just have to be persistent, lucky, or both.
By Michael Stokes
I’m jobless and I’m glad for it. Maybe Ryan Krause could get a job if he visited more places with job opportunities.
This is a good article and I can relate because I’ve had trouble getting a job as a teen too.
the economic crisis hits more than the kids here, it hits there parents and that leads to students wanting to help out with financial issues in the households. the problem with that is many adults being laid off, fired or having hours cut back end up taking the jobs that would typically go to high school students or college kids. there needs to be better and longer lasting jobs for adults first, before any students who are looking for jobs will actually get one. or just find a rich old person and scam them.
Good report and investigation. Its nice to know that I’m not the only one in the school who is having a problem finding a job.
What makes me cry a little is knowing that every teen that gets a job is taking a job from an adult who has a family to feed.