Employment Resources

Sweet 16 and ready to work. (1988, January 30). The Economist, 306, p. 21.

OVERVIEW

American youth have always earned spending money by doing small jobs before or after school. Today, a regular job after school is commonplace. The United States Bureau of Labor found that approximately 30% of the 16-19 year olds at school went from the classroom to a job in 1960. By 1987, nearly half of these older teenagers were employed regularly. Of this group, nearly 47% of white teenagers were employed compared to approximately 33% of Hispanics and 32% of black teenagers. The latter two showed little or no change from the 1960 levels, but the white teenage level of employment increased nearly 17%. This may be a result of the businesses employing teenagers; most tend not to be located in black or Hispanic neighborhoods. These teenagers are not working for pocket change. Many earn $200 a month working 17 hours a week in shops and fast-food restaurants or doing housework or babysitting. Some earn as much as $500. Considering that families provide a home with regular meals, this translates into pure profit and spending money—discretionary income.

There do not appear to be any major objections to this from parents or families. Proponents maintain that it develops the American work ethic and that there are worse occupations for idle hands. Considering the increasing trend of both parents working and seeing their children only for an evening meal, employed children are no more deprived of parental attention than they would if they came straight home from school. But a question arises: What are the unnoticed effects of teenage employment?

Employment effects on education and academic performance are being studied. Some teachers complain that students arrive at school too tired for intellectual challenges; therefore, the academic performance of the working teenager may be adversely affected. This is particularly true if the teenager went directly from school to work and then to another activity. Working individuals are also often unable to participate in after-school extracurricular activities. This further diminishes the growth experience for the high school student.

An additional point to consider is what employed teenagers do with their spending power. The common belief is that working teaches an individual how to save money and how not to be wasteful. Statistics show that this may be inaccurate. It is believed that about 30% put aside some or all of their earnings toward college, while the remainder spend their money on themselves. Only about 5% of these teenagers make any contribution to the family finances. Instead, the money goes to purchase clothes, cars, videos, and entertainment. Teenagers are not necessarily learning how to save, but simply how to spend. They may experience great shock when they are required to pay for their own rent and buy their own food, gas, and insurance.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. Are traditional values of working hard and developing self-discipline and responsibility obtained through teenage employment?
2. Does working help teenagers develop qualities that will aid them as they become self-reliant?
3. Are jobs for teenagers geared toward a certain segment of the population? Are they predisposed to certain ethnic classes?
4. Is there concern or sensitivity among parents who have working teenage children?

IMPLICATIONS

1. There has been a significant increase in the numbers of teenagers joining labor force over the past three decades. Although this trend may parallel the American ideal of working for what one earns, it may not be stimulating the traditional American values of working hard, spending responsibly, and saving.
2. Statistics show that a greater number of teenagers are not saving their money and delaying gratification. Rather, they are spending it on themselves without considering the future. This seems to indicate that the consumer mentality of American society has been absorbed by teenagers and, as a result, the pressures and responsibilities of being a consumer are increasingly being placed on them.
3. A sense of responsibility and self-discipline, in the traditional American understanding, is not necessarily being nurtured in teenagers. Instead, irresponsibility is being developed. This can create future problems for today’s teenagers when they enter the adult workplace and begin paying for themselves.
4. Kids are not regularly taught to "give to the poor" or "help the needy." Kids—especially employed teens developing a sense of greed—need to learn the value of social concern.