SANTA MONICA – High Schoolers are probably some of the busiest people in the world. Between high school sports, club sports,homework, college courses, family and extracurricular, students have very little time for anything else in their life, and the summers are no difference. Heading into the summer months, employers are seeing less and less students looking for summer jobs as they remain too busy for the extra load.
Students are forsaking summer jobs as they attempt to maintain their heavy workload. Between sports and academics, they simply don’t have time for anything else anymore especially as sports become an ever growing demand of hours for each team they play for. Employers are left wondering where all the student workers have gone.
Students used to fill the lower paying jobs in every area. From fast food restaurants to beachfront cafes to lifeguarding, employers are struggling to find employees to fill their minimum wage jobs, forcing employers to increase wages just to find employees for a short time.
It’s not unusual to walk around Santa Monica and find a “Now Hiring” sign in the window of a restaurant or small business that can’t afford to pay $20 an hour, and while summer used to fill these positions with students, the signs remain up for months, waiting to be filled until a new comer fills the position temporarily. However, a large aspect of students not seeking summer work involves many seeking academic and athletic scholarships opposed to finding monetary means to pay for college. With an emphasis on college, students are finding the extra time in the classroom or on the field to push them above the rest of the competition.
While the classroom and athletics are impacting lower end jobs, internships are becoming the most vital aspect of one’s future. With entry level career positions now requiring 1-2 years of experience, students are forced to seek non-paying internships for credit to be able to jumpstart their careers faster following high school and college, drawing students away from summer jobs as well.
With the sudden drop in the employees, fast food and businesses alike are having to make adjustments to serve their customers better, installing new self-order stations and digital thermometers to compensate the lack of employees. The future of the lower paying jobs is on an unknown path as the demand of students gets higher and their time gets tied up.
If you’re a student, leave a comment below and us know what your summer plans are and if you’re working in Santa Monica.
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