Georgia teens who plan to use their spring break to look for a summer job are likely to face a frustrating search — and the prospect of a long, hot unprofitable summer.
The unemployment rate among teens in Georgia has skyrocketed from 19.9 percent in 2005 to 36.3 percent in 2010. More than one out of every three Georgia teens looking for work has failed to find it, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
More than just cutting down on their trips to the movies and the mall, the lack of jobs has affected teens’ ability to save for college and further challenged households already struggling with parents’ unemployment.
Economists suggest that teens face a harder time because jobless adults may be willing to settle for jobs once snagged by teens. Beyond that, places that traditionally hire young people, such as retail stores, have been hard hit in this economic downturn, making fewer jobs available.
“We have a crisis in the job market for teens,” said Jeffrey Wenger, a University of Georgia economics professor. “It’s certainly the worst environment for teens in decades.”
Economists could not fully explain Georgia’s dismal ranking; the state’s total jobless rate, which was 10.2 percent in February, is among the nation’s 10 worst, but it’s not rock bottom.
On the whole, Southern states tend to have higher dropout rates than other regions, which can add to the already crowded pool of teens looking for work. After Georgia and California, Mississippi holds the third spot in the teen unemployment hall of shame.
Raven Gibson, 17, has been looking for a job since last summer. She has submitted applications to car washes, restaurants and movie theaters, to no avail. Most didn’t even call back.
The DeKalb County high school senior, who expects to start college in the fall, said she could have used the money during the eight months last year when her mother was unemployed.
“Things got extremely tight,” she said.
Being unemployed has held back her progress toward independence, she said. But it has taught her some hard lessons about the job market.
“I can complain, but I’m not an adult with kids to feed,” she said.
Even so, failing to land a job can have lasting effects on teenagers, Wenger said.
“Not only are they not able to go out and work and earn money, they aren’t able to develop those work habits, like showing up every day on time, that are valuable later in their lives.”
In the worst case, teens who can’t find jobs may turn to mischief, if not crime, he warned. “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop,” Wenger said.
In Cobb County, the police department began its Police Athletic League this year primarily to keep youngsters off the streets, particularly at times when they might otherwise have too much free time, said Joseph Hernandez, a Cobb County Police spokesman.
As with adults, more male than female teens are unemployed: 40 percent compared to 31 percent.
Deonte Leslie, 17, has been looking for a job since January, when the store he worked at closed. He’s getting discouraged, and his personal savings are running out.
“I’m learning a lot about money management,” said Leslie, who lives in East Atlanta and expects to start college in the fall. “I’d like to have a paycheck coming it. It’s a pretty good feeling.”
All of this comes at a time when summer employment programs may be needed more than ever but are cutting back.
The Georgia Department of Human Services’ TeenWorks program last year employed 15,000 people ages 16 to 21 in state government, hotels, schools and parks. But without federal stimulus funding this year that number will shrink to 650 youths, officials said.
Some good news: Officials at Six Flags amusement park and its sister water park said their staffing for summer jobs in Georgia will remain level with last year at 3,000 jobs. And McDonald’s will hold a national hiring day April 19 to fill 50,000 openings.
Joyceia Bankston, a recent Six Flags hire, had been job hunting since she graduated last May from Pebblebrook High School in Mableton. She works on Sky Coaster.
“Other than supporting myself financially, I was looking for a challenge, the opportunity to meet new people and to develop my leadership skills,” said Bankston, 19, who plans to attend Atlanta Tech in the fall.
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