Youth Summer Job Market Looks Bleak, Hiring Manager Survey Finds

SnagAJob.com Survey Shows Fewer Openings, Increased Competition from Other Job
Seekers

Yet, 53% of Youth Still Plan on Looking for Work
RICHMOND, Va.--(Business Wire)--
As Americans face an unemployment rate of 8.1 percent, teens and college
students looking for that traditional summer job are expected to be hard-pressed
to find work, according to a second-annual survey of more than 1,000 hourly
hiring managers.

The survey, commissioned by hourly job Web site SnagAJob.com and conducted by
third-party research firm IPSOS Public Affairs, found that nearly half (46%) of
hourly hiring managers with responsibility to recruit summer employees will not
be recruiting this year.

While this finding is consistent with last year, teens and young adults can
anticipate far fewer openings among businesses with available positions. Nearly
one quarter of hiring mangers (23%) say that while they will be hiring, they
will do so at levels lower than last year: Almost half (48%) of these managers
intend to hire at rates between 10 and 50 percent below last year`s seasonal
hiring levels. This figure has jumped 12 percentage points from 2008 (36%).

Not only will today`s youth be fighting for fewer job openings this summer, but
they also will face competition from a variety of forces, hiring managers with
positions available report:

* 73% of hiring managers expect more applications this summer compared to last
summer. This is a significant increase from the 48% of hiring managers who
anticipated more applications when comparing summer 2008 to summer 2007.
* 29% of hiring managers say that youths` greatest competition for a seasonal
position comes from workers who recently entered the workforce because of
economic pressures (up 9 percentage points from last year). And as this group is
a larger competitive factor, fewer hiring managers say that a youth`s biggest
competition will come from another teen or college student like themselves - a
drop of 7 percentage points from last year (61% last year, now 54%).
* Those who haven`t had a summer job before can expect to compete against
returning workers. Hiring managers say that 65% of their seasonal staff will be
returning workers, and 35% will be new employees.

"We`d be leading teens astray if we told them anything other than the fact that
it will be a very tough summer for high school and college students to find
seasonal jobs," said Shawn Boyer, CEO of SnagAJob.com. "The reality is that this
recession hasn`t hit rock bottom, and more and more people are out of work each
month, which is going to increase pressure on the summer job market. That said,
teens should not give up hope. Instead, they and their parents should go into
the summer job hunt with their eyes wide open - casting the net very wide,
applying as soon as possible and accepting a job for the experience as much as
the paycheck."

Any good news for teens on the hunt?

There are some silver linings for teens and college students who would like a
job this year:

* One quarter (25%) of hiring managers say that they intend to hire at the same
level as last year. And, 6% expect to hire more workers than they did last
season.
* Similar to last year, a positive attitude remains the No. 1 thing hiring
managers look for in a summer employee (36%). The ability to work the daily
schedule a hiring manager needs is the second-most important attribute (27%).
Previous experience in a given job or industry does not come into play until No.
3 (25%).
* While a combined 74% of hiring managers with available positions expect to
complete their hiring by May, there should be some opportunities for jobs
throughout the summer - 11% plan on making hires all season long because of
anticipated turnover. That said, proactive job seekers can give themselves a leg
up by starting the job hunt now: 22% of hiring managers expect to complete their
hiring by April.
* Those who are able to find work can expect to earn a bit more than last year.
Hiring managers expect to pay an average of $10.20 an hour, an increase of $0.40
over last year`s average. (Of note: The federal minimum wage, currently at
$6.55, rises to $7.25 this July.)

Boyer recommends that those 16 to 18 years old be open to jobs that college
students and older workers may not seek. For example, fast-food restaurants
typically hire at 16 years old, and this is a segment that is doing well as
Americans still want to go out to eat but are choosing more economical options.

If you`re a college student, healthcare support jobs should be considered, Boyer
suggests. (Healthcare has added about 351,000 jobs in the last year, according
to government statistics.) For example, there`s a growing opportunity for
companionship jobs to seniors who would like to stay in their homes longer.
Responsibilities include running errands and light-meal preparation.

More than half of teens and young adults will look for summer jobs

In a separate survey of more than 500 Americans ages 16-22, also commissioned by
SnagAJob.com and conducted by IPSOS Public Affairs, youth were asked if they
intended to look for a summer job this year. More than half (53%) do plan on
looking for a job, 11 percent will not, and 10 percent will make their decision
closer to summer. Meanwhile, one quarter (26%) will not be searching for a
summer job because they already are employed.

Youth who will be on the summer job hunt say that their biggest competition will
come from high school and college students like themselves (72%). Meanwhile,
like some hiring managers suggested in their survey, some youth are concerned
about competition from workers who have entered the workforce recently because
of economic pressures. One-fifth of youth (20%) recognize this group as their
biggest competition.

Multiple economic reasons at fault for the lack of summer jobs

When asked why they do NOT plan on hiring seasonal employees this year, the 46
percent of managers not hiring pointed to a variety of economic reasons, many of
which are related. The most popular reasons not to hire this year are: current
staff will take on any needed hours (37%); our business levels have been down
recently (27%); and no budget to staff up, either with current staff or seasonal
hires (25%). In addition to these top-three selections, hiring managers also
said that they are currently under a hiring freeze (14%); they anticipate their
hiring needs will be down by summer (12%); and their company has laid off
workers and/or closed locations recently (9%). (Respondents were able to select
all applicable answers.)

Survey Methodologies:

Hiring manager survey - This online survey was conducted by IPSOS Public
Affairs, a third-party research firm, on behalf of SnagAJob.com between Feb.
20-25, 2009. Respondents included 1,043 hiring managers with responsibility for
hiring summer, seasonal employees paid by the hour. The margin of error for the
entire survey is 3.03% at a 95% confidence level. The margin of error for the
sub-population of hiring managers who said they would be hiring summer employees
(564 respondents) is 4.13%. Similarly, the margin of error for hiring managers
who said they will not be hiring (479 respondents) is 4.48%. This is the second
year that this survey was conducted.

Youth survey - This online survey was conducted by IPSOS Public Affairs, a
third-party research firm, on behalf of SnagAJob.com between Feb. 25 - March 2,
2009. Respondents included 505 American youths between the ages of 16 and 22
years old. Data has been weighted to ensure the sample`s regional and age/gender
composition reflects that of the actual U.S. population according to data from
the U.S. Census Bureau. The margin of error for the entire survey is 4.36% at a
95% confidence level. The margin of error for the sub-population of youth who
said they will be job hunting (265 respondents) is 6.02%.

About SnagAJob.com:

SnagAJob.com, America`s largest hourly job Web site, has helped connect hourly
workers with quality full-time and part-time jobs in a wide range of industries
since 2000. Headquartered in Richmond, Va., SnagAJob.com also provides both job
seekers and employers with valued insights and a cutting-edge interface that are
unique to hourly employment. That, combined with more than 135 million annual
searches, about 15 million registered job seekers and approximately 100,000
active job postings, makes SnagAJob.com exceptionally qualified to share the
experiences of the hourly workforce with the rest of the country. Current
clients include DISH Network®, Verizon Wireless®, FedEx®, Boston Market®,
Chick-fil-A®, Bed Bath & Beyond®, Michaels® and Jiffy Lube®. Learn more about
the No. 1 source for hourly employment at SnagAJob.com.

for SnagAJob.com
Stacey Brucia, 804-381-5132
staceyb@hodgespart.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009