Teens’ chances of getting a summer job are going up

A recent survey is dishing out really great news: The number of summer jobs available to teens is growing. According to the eighth-annual Summer Hiring Survey, compiled by the job board website SnagAJob, 78% of employers reported that they expect to hire the same number or more of hourly summer employees compared to 2014. Yes! That is seriously encouraging.

Not only will the job market be broader, wages are increasing. Last year, the average hourly wage was $10.39, but the survey shows that employers plan on raising the average to $11.52. That’s over a dollar more per hour—cha ching!

Teen employment has already been on the rise; a consulting agency called Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. reported that teens between the ages of 16 and 19 haven’t had as many non-summer jobs since 2009. One of the CEO’s of the company also shared that working during the summer has proven to provide teens with skills they use later in life. “Study after study show that earning power and success throughout one’s career is improved significantly by working as a teenager,” John A. Challenger said on the agency’s blog. “While it is important to prepare for college and life beyond college, working a summer job should be considered part of that preparation.” Basically, the huge number of teens working now will result in a huge number of future Oprah’s (fingers crossed).

If you are thinking of taking advantage of this growing employment pool, both companies offer advice based on their research. SnagAJob suggests getting your applications in now, rather than after the school year ends. Their survey found that 74% of jobs will be filled by the end of May—turns out that spring is the time to get a summer job.

Challenger stresses the importance of meeting with employers in person, rather than relying on the Internet. “Employer websites and online job search sites … make it easy to conduct a job search from one’s computer, but face-to-face interaction remains the best way to achieve job-search success,” he said. “That is the case whether you are a teen seeking an hourly-wage summer job or a CEO seeking a multi-million-dollar compensation package.”

Sounds solid to us! More jobs, higher pay, and the opportunity to meet with more people face-to-face to gain experiences you will use for the rest of your life? This summer is going to be awesome.

(Images via here and here.)

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