A recent article in the Daily Herald reported that due to the poor economy teens were scrambling for summer jobs. A report by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University predicted the teen employment rate will drop below even last year’s historically low level of 34.5 percent.

Despite this unsettling news, the article stated some bright news. Park districts, regardless of the economy, are in need of camp counselors, concession stand workers, lifeguards and other summer staff.

“The jobs are out there, experts say. Teens will just have to work a little harder to land them this year.”

The IPRA has the answer to teens looking for summer jobs. Post your open positions on the IPRA’s job opportunities bulletin. Did you know that roughly 15-20 jobs get posted each month on the IPRA site? And did you know there are about 1,500 posted resumes on the site for employers to search through to find the perfect match?

However, posting summer jobs for teens on the IPRA site is just part of the process. If you haven’t had a job fair yet, it’s not too late. Also, talk to your local high schools and ask if you can post flyers and talk with students over their lunch period.

Now for the fun part… So you have a summer job opening. Why would a teenager want to work for you? What makes working in parks and recreation so appealing?

These are questions who must have an answer to. Teens are not as willing to accept a low paying summer job as they once were. Gas prices are astronomical…more students are taking summer school to prepare for college…summer sports leagues occupy a lot of time…and the list can go on and on.

Post a comment here answering why a teenager would want to work for you.