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BUSINESSES SHORT OF TEEN WORKERS

Mike Haberman

If you are having problems staffing your business with the teenaged workers you normally use to meet the summer crunch you are not alone. Businesses across the country are having the same problem. Not only is there a general shortage of teenaged workers, many are just not taking the ‘traditional’ teenage jobs. Many are attracted to computer-oriented jobs and many are being entrepreneurial and freelancing their computer skills. Companies are getting into bidding wars for teen workers offering sign-on bonuses, double digit hourly wages and benefit eligibility.
Some companies are solving this problem by importing teen workers from foreign countries. For example, Six Flags Great America in Illinois is bringing in 450 teens from Russia to work in their amusement park over the summer and USA Pools is recruiting internationally for life guards to staff pools in the Southeast.
Obviously this solution is not for everyone, so what do you do? Here are some suggestions:
Look beyond your traditional workforce and consider other sources such as older workers and disabled workers. (See article on Hiring Retirees)
“Import” workers from another part of town by offering a transportation bonus
Make your workplace a ‘fun’ place to be
Be willing to train the applicants in basic skills, or offer training in subjects that will benefit them later and help you hire and keep them now
If you must have teen workers be creative with your incentives, e.g., rather than offering a monetary retention bonus offer instead the purchase of their favorite CDs.