Why are so many local employers having a problem staffing seasonal employment for jobs typically held by teens and high school and college students in the summer? It’s not just a seasonal issue, and I know it’s also a problem for businesses (of virtually every industry) across the entire country and not just Metro Detroit.
OAKLAND COUNTY MOMS BLOG ENTRIES
Our local parks, summer camps, golf courses, restaurants, and sports stadiums are constantly reaching out to Oakland County Moms for help and advice with finding summer help to keep programs going. Local beaches & pools are reducing hours. Local summer camps are limiting registrations due to staffing issues. Parks & rec departments are cutting programming due to the inability to find summer help.
More Incentives, Less Applicants
It’s not as if our local employers haven’t been trying harder to lure kids to filling out applications. Substantial hiring 
bonuses, $1000 referral bonuses, paid training, higher pay, and flexible scheduling don’t even seem to be bringing kids to the table. Most of these positions would have been deemed lucrative when I was in school and I remember having to interview extensively and “compete” for my fun Park Attendant position at Spencer Park. But that was a LONG time ago.
OAKLAND COUNTY SUMMER JOB FAIRS
The issue that strikes me the most with these positions that need to be filled is… these jobs aren’t exactly back-breaking, 75-hour per week positions – many of them are even fun. I would think there are worse ways to 
spend the summer than to lifeguard a pool in the sun (with paid training), take tickets at a waterpark, caddy, entertain kids at summer camp, or sell candy at Jimmy Johns Field. These jobs all are paying well over minimum wage (to say the least).
Why Aren’t Teens & College Students Taking Summer Jobs
The gruff, simplistic answer your father or grandfather might give is that kids “nowadays” don’t want to work. A modernized viewpoint may be that kids face additional workloads of athletics and academic responsibility that previous generations have never seen.
Maybe teens are smarter today? Maybe pursuing a job, or an internship, in their future chosen field is more important to them than a “fun” job at a local beach. My menial jobs “back in the day” for minimum wage taught me little. In hindsight, maybe I should have been more selective about the jobs I chose.
The sad part is… if any (or all of) the above scenarios are true… it’s hard to believe an extra $1 or $2 an hour would bring kids out of the woodwork to apply for seasonal help. This problem is likely to continue.
However, if your teen or college-aged son or daughter IS looking for summer employment… there is no better time than now. Here are some places that are DEFINITELY hiring and feature a lot of fantastic incentives to boot. Yes, they will also hire stay-at-home adults. Call our friends at Oakland County Parks, the Metroparks, or any local P&R Department.
