Teen Jobs in the United States
Jobs in the United States are very limited. The number of jobs has significantly dropped since President Bush has been in office. "The president was handed a 5.6 trillion dollar surplus ladies and gentlemen, that is where he was when he came into office. Now we have a 2.6 dollar trillion dollar deficit. This is the biggest turn around in the history of the country. He is the first president in 72 years to loose jobs" Kerry said during the presidential debates. And the job market isn 't looking good either. "Economists are predicting the worst labor market in decades for the nation 's teen jobs. It 's just that more people are competing for them, including unemployed adults and older people who are finding retirement plans that aren 't sufficient." "The no experience ' thing plays a role because businesses would rather hire someone who has more experience than teens. I 've been looking for pretty much any job that will take me. I 'd be happy working at McDonalds!" said a teenager looking for a job in New York. "Before the summer came, my friends and I made a plan to get jobs. Now we 're just a group of 10 unemployed people hanging out" said another teenager looking for a job in San Francisco. Jobs for teens need to be allowed by their parents and by their community. According to the grovejob.com website, "A part time job can be an invaluable way for a teen to learn real-life skills and complement the things that you learn in school." When teenagers have a job, they learn what money really means. They get a feel for what the real world is, and not have their parents buy them everything they want. The teenagers that work for their money are prepared for their life. "The job opened my eyes ... I now know where I want to be." Stated Green, D.L. When the parents say the lines, "you are too young to work" or, "your school work is important and your job will interfere with you homework". Teenagers need to agree to what they are saying. But, parents need to know
Cited: Barrett, Rick, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The (WI), May 28th, 2003
Colorado Revised Statutes Denver, Colorado, Bradford Publishing Company, 2002
Jewett, Christina. Sacramento Bee, the (CA), July 15th, 2004.
Kerry, John The Quarrelsome Debate, October 8th 2004.
New York Amsterdam News, 8/7/2004, Vol. 94 Issue 32, p18, 1/5p; Reading Level (Lexile):
"The Age Factor for Teen Jobs" www.groovejobs.com, September 16th, 2004