Why Fewer Teens Have Summer Jobs

We've been struggling to make sense out of what feels like a trend of fewer folks in general being interested in summer jobs and, specifically, a declining interest in the outdoor locations that we Cool Works (tm) represents.

We came across an article today by Derek Larson of The College of St. Benedict/St. John's University about why fewer teens are grabbing summer jobs that we thought was pretty good. Some of his high points:

* Fewer jobs are available to teens than in the past due to reduced demand for low-skilled labor and other factors such as summer school

* There's more money out there. Families aren't as reliant on income from teens to help with expenses

* Teens are finding that advancing their education can be more valuable in the summer than working to help pay for it. A summer job will have little impact financially

* Stagnant minimum wages may have driven teens into the cash economy

* Hiring teens can be complicated. Employers are seeking older workers

This is great food for thought. Read the article at St Cloud Times website.