Hard for teens to find work; more jobs opening up

June 14, 2006

By DAN JOHNSON
ARGUS-COURIER STAFF

At first glance, it suggests that hundreds of Sonoma County employers are heartless, if not downright cruel.

Nearly 95 percent of the 456 employers who participated this spring in the Youth Employment Survey said they landed their first job before they were 18 years old, but 65 percent of them don't employ teens under this age, even though 80 percent of them have the flexibility to do so.

Ray Holley, who administered the poll as the youth employer account representative for the Sonoma County Job Link's Workforce Investment Board, provides at least a partial explanation.

"When we asked employers about these figures, many of them said that as teenagers, they had jobs picking prunes and doing a lot of other things that teens don't do as much now," Holley said. "Also, regulations have become much stricter on what teens are allowed to do."

Some of these regulations restrict teens from using equipment, such as power tools, while other rules limit the number of hours they work. Youth ages 14 and 15 are allowed to work up to three hours per day and 18 hours per week during the academic year, and 40 hours per week during the summer; youth ages 16 and 17 can work as many as four hours per day and 36 hours per week during the school year, and up to 48 hours during the summer.

Elece Hempel, community resources director for the Petaluma People Serv-ices Center, says that the hour re-quirement makes it more difficult for younger teens to find work, particularly during the school year.

"Also, the 16- and 17-year-old youth typically are more mature and responsible, so they can do more types of work than the 14- and 15-year-old youth, who often do personal-service jobs such as baby-sitting and lawn-mowing," Holley added.

He was hired specifically to reach out to the business community to help youth find work, and through the survey discovered, among other things, that employers are most concerned that teen workers will have a poor attitude and be unreliable.

"We need to better educate people about the values of hiring young people," Holley said. "When I talk to employers, my rap is about the importance of community building. They need to reach out to the younger generation, to involve them in the process."

This year, teen jobs have been slow to open up, he said.

"The rainy weather had a big impact on just about every business, and this slowed down the hiring, but it's steadily picked up," Holley said.

The teen job situation in Petaluma is very similar to the rest of the county, he said, adding that many jobs are in fast-food restaurants.

"But Petaluma is a very interesting community, with a wonderful diversity of small and large businesses, so I think it will have a wide range of jobs for teens this summer," Holley said.

Tom Gaffey, general manager of the Phoenix Theater, also feels that teen jobs have developed slowly this year.

"This is partly because of rules and insurance requirements at work sites. I began working when I was 12 years old, but it isn't as easy for kids to find jobs nowadays," he said.

Gaffey said that this summer, two or three teens approach him about work every day. He hopes to add three teen employees as shows come and go during the summer.

Amber Griffith, the youth employment coordinator for the Sonoma County Office of Education, says many local teens find jobs through the office's PathFinder, a school-to-career partnership that unites educators, employers, students, parents, teachers, community organizations and many others to help build links between what students learn and what they will need to know to be successful as adults.

More information about PathFinder can be found at sonomacopathfinder.communityos.org.

Applications for summer work permits can be obtained at the Petaluma Teen Center, 150 Fairgrounds Drive, and at local schools. Before obtaining a permit, students must take an instructional workshop covering employment rules and expectations. An employment workshop is held at the center every Tuesday from 2 to 4 p.m. Additional information about the center is at www.cityofpetaluma.net/ parksnrec/teencenter.html.

Griffith says availability of teen jobs has remained fairly constant during the past five years, and that the imminent opening of In-N-Out Burger in Petaluma has helped to add more local positions.

"We have a lot of entry jobs in the fast-food industry available, and we have other types of jobs, such as working with animals and helping to cater for children's birthday parties," she said.

The minimum wage is $6.75 per hour, but many employers offer slightly higher pay to be competitive, she said.

Gaffey emphasizes that for a teen, it's not all about the money, though.

"The job itself, how it helps a teenager, is the most important thing," he said.

(Contact Dan Johnson at djohnson@arguscourier.com)