Part time jobs

Our economy is evolving in ways that confound many assumptions in terms of logic. I know just how hard it is for our 20 something daughter to find a permanent job, much less easy still for her to get a mortgage. I wondered if she might stand a bit of a chance of earning some extra cash over the summer. This article which charts the gradual decline of the summer job suggests my hopes were misplaced…

Summer jobs are becoming a thing of the past after a leading think tank found that the number of 16 and 17-year-olds working during their holidays has halved in the last 20 years.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said that while rising university fees could be leading youngsters to focus on their academic studies, employers increasingly want people with prior experience for part-time work, depriving sixth formers and students of the sort of opportunities available two decades ago.

The IPPR called on the Government, businesses, schools and universities to provide more assistance to young people to help them acquire relevant work experience that would nurture the skills recruiters seek.

The research showed the number of 16 to 17-year-olds in full-time education working in the summer has almost halved compared to 20 years ago, while the number of 18 to 24-year-olds has fallen by a fifth.

In the 1990s, more than 40 per cent of 16 to 17-year-olds had a part-time job while studying.

The report said that part-time work was essential to “get a foot on the jobs ladder”.