As Hawaii tourism and other industries rebound from the recession, unemployment has begun to drop, but that doesn’t necessarily help young people who want to start careers. Teens and young adults find they are the last to be considered for jobs, a plight that is likely to extend over a long term. Public and private employers must be motivated to develop talent and skill pipelines by finding spots for the next generation of workers, our future.
Forty-eight percent of Hawaii youth ages 16 to 24 were employed last year — less than half — down 6 percent from 2000, when the state’s jobless rate hovered around 4 percent, according to a new "Youth and Work" study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Among Hawaii’s 16- to 19-year-olds, only 22 percent had jobs in 2011, down from 34 percent in 2000, while 65 percent of 20- to 24-year-olds had jobs in 2011, down 3 percent from 2000.
"This is something we can’t ignore," Ivette Stern, junior specialist at the University of Hawaii’s Center on the Family, told the Star-Advertiser’s Mary Vorsino. "As we look toward recovery, we have to think about this."
Employers understandably are reluctant to hire young people with limited education orskills, especially over older workers re-entering the workforce. It is especially true for students from low-income families, even for those who do go to college and drop out. The Casey Foundation report calls them "disconnected."
For many youths, though, such idling will likely get worse, not better, without some basic skills and responsibilities learned at entry-level jobs. Stagnant young adults are prone to become less-productive older adults without better, valuable grounding earlier in life.
The lifetime earnings of high school dropouts are estimated at $400,000 less than those of a high school graduate. Others lack support for making the transition from high school to college and face difficulties for their lifetime.
President Barack Obama has recognized the problem and created a White House Council for Community Solutions. It suggested sound reasons this year for why businesses should look beyond a person’s limited academic record and lack of employment history and consider "fundamental lanes of engagement" in providing a valuable new start. Among the council’s advice, which we urge local employers to adopt or advance:
» Develop "soft skills" by using company employees with a few years or more of experience to be insightful guides to youth through "one-on-one mentorship, coaching sessions and workshops."
» Provide opportunities to provide youth with insight by experiencing the world of work close to the source. That can mean hosting job shadow days, offering career exploration guidance and providing job readiness training, all of which can inspire a young person toward interest in a field or area of study.
» Enter youths in programs such as internships, apprenticeships and permanent positions, usually "coupled with a mentor or buddy and structured training."
Too many companies today restrict their estimations of young applicants to experience in deter- mining whether they should fill available spots. First jobs, though, can be priceless in teaching the value of money and earning it, as well as life skills such as time management, self-esteem and teamwork. Choosing a youth or young adult with limited education or lack of job history to fill a position can be valuable for both the applicant and employer — in the short and long runs.
