If you've noticed the flow of teens interested in part-time work has recently slowed, you're not alone.

Workforce Management magazine reports McDonald's Corp. is feeling the stress of a shrinking teen labor market: In the 1990s, 45 percent of McDonald's U.S. employees were under 20, compared to 33 percent today. That statistic mirrors data that shows only 44 percent of American teens holding jobs in 2006, down from the 60 percent in 1982, according to Workforce. The fast food giant is running ads showcasing a company executive who started out in her teens as a cashier, in hopes of reversing the trend.

Some sources in the article attribute the trend to the intensified focus on academics and after-school activities, while others speculate that the trend of McDonald's hiring woes might come from its unwillingness to raise wages.

Sharon Richardson, owner of Ferrari Florist & Gifts, in Santa Cruz, Calif., who hires teens at Christmas, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, says she hasn't noticed the trend, likely because she's willing to pay more than minimum wage. "It makes them feel more important and it also makes them take their job a little more seriously," Richardson says.

She values her teen workforce, saying that teenagers are usually more flexible when it comes to working later and on weekends. Plus, having a young person in the store, especially in the gift area, brings in other young people into the store, she says.

"A lot of our walk-in customers are older," Richardson says. "When we have someone younger in the store it seems more young people will come in because they are less intimidated to ask questions and look around."

--Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org

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