Summer job places same as last year in US
NEW YORK (Reuters) - US summer jobs will be roughly as plentiful for teens and college students this year as they were in 2009, according to research released by a popular hourly job online site.
Twenty-nine percent of hiring managers said they planned to add the same number of students this summer, compared with 25 percent who said the same last year, the survey commissioned by SnagAJob.com showed.
Some 18 percent expect to hire fewer such workers, down from 23 percent in 2009, while six percent said they planned to increase their summer hiring, equal to last year's number, the poll said.
Nearly half, or 47 percent, do not expect to make seasonal hires, compared with 46 percent last year.
"Given the year that we've had, 'unchanged' on the summer job front is pretty good news," said Shawn Boyer, chief executive of SnagAJob.com in Richmond, Virginia. "It's a relief that we're not again seeing the kind of negative trends that we saw when comparing expectations for last summer with '08.
"Competition will still be fierce, especially because unemployment remains high," he added. The US unemployment rate has been hovering at about 10 percent.
Those who end up getting a summer job can expect an average wage of $10.20 an hour, according to the survey.
In an open-ended question, hiring managers also were asked to give advice to teen job seekers, SnagAJob.com said.
"Don't make all questions about money and time off," a hiring manager said.
"Take the ring out of your ear, and cover up the tattoos," said another.
The third annual online survey was conducted by IPSOS Public Affairs, a research firm, between February 24 and March 1 and surveyed 1,033 managers with responsibility for hiring summer, seasonal and hourly employees.