Unemployment & Downsizing Hits the Young

When we think about the economic crisis that our country faces, we normally only think about the effects it has on the adult population. We never think about the working teen population who is also affected. Their positions are being downsized or hours reduced so that companies can accommodate adult’s employment needs.

While, it’s understandable if a manager is reducing the hours of a teen worker to give more hours to an adult worker who has a family to support. To a teen, it just isn’t fair. The teen may be working to supplement for items their parent’s don’t have enough to contribute towards. Therefore, working to provide for their own clothes or activities fees. Even worse is it for those teens who are the breadwinner in their household and have to take care of their needs and wants as well as their families.

How does a teen survive during an economic crisis?

Unfortunately, the majority of teen workers are apart of the unskilled labor market. Having no skills leads them limited to the types of employment they can seek. Though lots of them go for retail positions since they require no real skills and they are open to hiring people with no to little experience. So, when adult workers are edging teens out of the part-time retail employment arena, they really have nowhere else to turn, except to education.

The saying goes, “no one can ever take away your education.”

The labor force is going to force teens to turn to education because there will be limited employment for them after high school graduation. For some teens, which are already tired of school or not interested in pursuing a four plus year degree, this can be a difficult pill to swallow. However, there are alternatives that teens should be aware of that may help them gain relevant skills and experience so they can enter the job market quicker.

Besides looking to pursue a two-year associates degree, teens ready to hit the job market, may want to look into various certificate programs. Certificate programs are designed primarily to prepare graduates for entry-level employment in positions which require both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. These certificates range in length from one-semester to four-semesters. They are offered through colleges, online education providers or technical institutions.

Not only are certifications useful to get you employable skills that can lead to the job market quicker, but it also allows you to find out if you really like the particular field you have entered at a lower cost than a four plus year degree. It’s important that teens understand the job market is competitive for all, skilled and unskilled, but especially for those without experience, skills and education. I hope teens learn a quick lesson from this economic crisis to prepare, prepare, prepare.