The summer job market is upon us, and the good news is that there are likely to be more openings. The most recent annual summer jobs survey by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas found that even after a sharp increase in teen employment last summer, more openings are likely this year.

A second survey, by snagajob.com, an hourly employment network, found that 19 percent of the hiring managers who responded plan to hire summer help, up from 9 percent in 2012, and more of them think it will be “easy” for teens to find work.

That’s a good thing, since these days, high school and college students aren’t the only ones looking for summer employment. With so many in the over–60 set out of work for lengthy periods, or looking for supplemental income, the jobs competition between teens and older workers may be heated.

“I’d be foolish to say they don’t compete with each other,” said Kerry Hannon, the author of “Great Jobs for Everyone 50+.”

Hannon says older workers are attracted to a wide range of seasonal jobs, some of which draw younger workers as well. “When they do job fairs for Major League Baseball and amusement parks like Six Flags, you see a lot of retirees showing up to apply,” she said. But older workers also seek opportunities that younger applicants may skip, like work in RV parks that enables them to go cruising over the summer, or hiring themselves out as summer tutors.

Full article here

By: Kelley Holland

News Writer