While several businesses throughout the area still have to hire workers, a significant number of high school-age youth have trouble obtaining jobs because they cannot be hired because of their age.
Although there are laws that permit minors to work in limited-hour increments, the majority of employers do not hire people younger than 18. Many students have even gone on to say that age tends to be the most important factor evaluated during the application process.
Furthermore, Teens say they can complete the online application process as well as attend the interview and/or receive communications after applying, only to be denied once their age is verified. This has resulted in many students being frustrated because they are looking to build early work experiences.
“I’ve applied to multiple places, and most of them tell me they only hire people who are 18 or older,” said Senior Gracie Carey. Even when the job doesn’t seem dangerous or complicated, they still won’t consider me.” Federal and state labor laws permit the employment of minors under 16 and 17 in non-dangerous occupations with restrictions on hours of work, and establish additional hiring criteria beyond the minimum acceptable legal requirements.
Generally, employers will often cite liability concerns, training requirements, and scheduling conflicts as reasons why they avoid hiring minors.
Business leaders in the region have limited the terms of the guidelines on their job websites as per age of employment requirements, along with reasons for their existence and concerns for compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act. Additional reasons provided by some of these companies have included the high cost of insuring an employee under 18 years of age.
Having to follow these guidelines has made it hard to get real-world experiences before graduating. Most teenagers are interested in working so they can make some money for college expenses, transportation costs, or personal expenses.
Additionally, many teenagers want to develop a strong resume and learn how to work in a company setting before becoming adults. Senior Gabby Castaneda said age restrictions can create a disadvantage for students entering the workforce later: “A lot of jobs want experience, but it’s hard to get experience when no one will hire you because you’re not 18 yet,” Castaneda said.
Many people misunderstand how teenagers work, largely due to the small number of jobs available to minors. Because of the limited number of available jobs, many teenagers are unemployed, but they are also looking for work.
Students will tell you that there are not enough places where they can get a job, so they can’t take their parents’ advice to start building their responsibilities and knowledge about finances. Students may be engaging in informal jobs like babysitting or tutoring, but those types of jobs tend to lack many components of a formal job experience that we typically think of when we think about work.
While many employers are not hiring people under the age of 18 due to liability concerns, there are still some businesses hiring minors, including grocery stores, movie theatres, and small local businesses. They usually have a rigid schedule for their employees and require a work permit or parental consent in order to be employed.
The time between when students graduate from high school and their starting some type of formal or continued education, many of them are actively searching for jobs where they can develop work experience.
Currently, age is still one of the largest obstacles for teenagers trying to enter the local workforce.