From the Christian Science Monitor: Why teens have a tough time finding summer work

Many are enrolling in summer classes or doing community service while others are squeezed out by adults competing for the same entry-level jobs.

Boston – This summer is shaping up as a tough one for many of America’s youngest job seekers.

Camps still need counselors. Ice cream shops still need young arms with a knack for alternating between a scoop and a cash register. And the nation’s job market is strong.

Yet teen employment rates haven’t rebounded from the recession of 2001. Instead, these numbers are at historic lows.

The reasons include positive forces, such as the rise of new opportunities for summer education and community service. But the trend also reflects more competition from older workers for a shrinking pool of entry-level jobs…

While many are cheering the American economic dynamo, others ask, what, when, why, where, and how about me.

As the article points out, entry level jobs provide a training ground for young people entering the job market. In part, the share of jobs available to young people is decreasing as older, experienced workers compete for those jobs.

I’d ask why? Are older workers interested in shuffling hamburgers, cashing out sales to pre-teens, and doing janitorial work at the mall? Is this their motivation/career path, or is it simply their way of paying the bills?

It is regrettable in that our talent pool and experience are being wasted. It is regretable that our economic model relies on low paid service jobs. It is regretable that the division between rich and poor grows as uncle Bob and aunt Mary, formerly employed in their profession of choice, serve dinner at Red Lobster.