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Chilly forecast for teen jobs this summer
Sara Coggins, 18, of Golden Valley is happy to be ask "You want chips, with that?" The Arizona State University English major knows she is one of the lucky ones. She is working on the grill at the Brookview Golf Course for the summer. She applied at almost a dozen places. Only 2 called her back. The story is the same or worse for her fellow teens. "Well, out of about 6 friends, I would say 2 have found jobs and the others are still looking and still applying for jobs." There is a chill moving across the teenage job front this year. Competition for traditional teenage summer jobs like life-guarding is tougher than ever. The unemployment rate for older teens in Minnesota has doubled since 2001. Companies are cutting back on hiring. Laid-off adults are competing for the smaller number of jobs. That means a lot of teens are getting the cold shoulder from hoped-for employers this summer. Jen Berg hires lifeguards for the beaches and pools in Minneapolis Parks. That is 120-140 summer jobs for teens. 2008 is a highly competitive job market. "Gotten lots of interviews in and lots of applications. I think I only need 3 or 4 more people. Last year I was still hiring actually into mid-June with getting people into Life Guarding, but this year, everybody seems to need a job and wants to, wants to get hired." A report by researchers at Northeastern University, released Monday, estimates that just 1 in 3 job seeking teens will be successful this summer. The picture is even bleaker for low income and minority teens. Just 1 in 5 is expected to find work in June, July and August. Sara Coggins calls each order back to grill. "All right, we got a bacon cheeseburger with coleslaw." She knows that finding a way to fill that personal summer break cash drawer will be a tall order for Minnesota teenagers. City Leaders have expressed concern about the looming lack of employment for inner city youth. Minneapolis offers help and advice through its "Step up" program. Teens can check out the website at www.achieveminneapolis.org. Saint Paul offers job listings at www.stpaul.gov/jobs.asp.
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