It Could Be a Cruel Summer for Jobless NJ Teens

Let’s discuss your summer job shall we? A Townsquare New Network report says more than 7 in 10 US teens will be jobless this summer. Governor Christie says New Jersey grew some 17,600 jobs in the month of May, so those numbers beg the question, where are all the summer jobs?

Are they being farmed out to the international students who pay to one here and work. Maybe they're going to illegal immigrants now that President Obama has gone against Congress and allowed at least 60,ooo New Jersey illegal immigrants to remaining the United States and apply for work permits because it’s the “right thing to do.” I thought enforcing the immigration laws already on the books was the right thing to do, but in this administration, I guess it goes to show, what do I know?

I know that there’s a good chance New Jersey born and bred teenagers are not going to be working this summer. The issue I have is that  I would like to know why. Shouldn’t they get first crack at these jobs before out-of-staters or foreign help? Are they refusing them because it’s beneath them? Or are they just not being considered?

Are businesses more inclined to hire the immigrant or foreign help because of work ethic? Could it be because of the tax breaks for the businesses? Do those foreign workers pay taxes?

Last year, more than 7,000 young workers came from abroad to New Jersey through the Summer Work Travel program and worked various service industry jobs. Only New York and Florida bring in more students than New Jersey through the program. These kids want to work here so badly that they pay as much as $10,000 to come here and obtain these jobs.

It comes back to the question of how bad do New Jersey teens want to work? It’s up to the individual teen and how they were raised. Some will hustle for a buck anyway they can, others will think certain jobs are beneath them. Maybe if they think they are too good for these jobs, they should talk to the college kids who are working them to pay off their student loans. It could be a look to the future.

Either way, I think New Jersey teens should have first crack at these jobs before we turn anywhere else.

Some questions that arise from all this: Do you or your kid have a summer job? How hard was it to get? What was the best summer job you ever had? What were some of the things you did for money when you couldn’t find a job? Comment on  any/all questions below.