By Gilbert Gutierrez III
Daily Titan Staff Writer
An address to Congress was made on Oct. 1 about the decline of jobs available for college students.
In a press release distributed by U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), many witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee that falling youth employment is part of a much longer growing trend that needs to be addressed.
“The recession has only made a bad situation worse for younger workers. Even in periods of economic stability, fewer young people do not make the transition to the workforce. They face challenges completing high school and obtaining the skills they need to succeed,” Miller said.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, at the end of September 2009, California’s unemployment rate was posted at 12.2 percent, slightly decreased from 12.3 percent in August.
Paul Wessen an economist from the Employment Development Department in Sacramento said that the cause of this increase came from the housing bubble that had fueled much of the consumer spending and economic activity in the state which burst in early 2006.
Problems in housing magnified over time, spilled over into the financial sector (first with sub-prime mortgage companies) and consumer sector then erupted into a global financial crisis, which forced consumers to cut back sharply on spending, later forcing businesses to stop investing, which plunged the global economy into recession, he said.
“There was something of a perfect storm that hit the U.S. and California economies,” Wessen said. “The record high unemployment rates of recent months are showing just how severe and deep the current economic downturn has been.”
Today’s increase of unemployment is just a reaction to the corrections being made to balance out the economy.
“There really isn’t all that much you can do to change or alter the cycle,” Wessen said. “But what one can try to do is speed up the cycle (via stimulus) or mitigate the pain and hardship of those most in need (via targeted assistance).”
“This is the realm of policy, and policy can be inherently controversial,” he said.
In the address to Congress, witness Matthew Segal, founder and national co-chair of 80 Million Strong for Young American Jobs Coalition, declared that the employment rate among 16 – 24 year-olds has declined by nearly 20 percent over the past decade to its lowest level since World War II. Congress recognized the history youths have faced and included as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act an additional $1.2 billion over two years to increase youth job programs, including summer jobs.
“They tend to be at a disadvantage when entering the workforce and competing for jobs because they lack the skill sets, workplace knowledge and track record that employers seek when hiring workers,” Wessen said when describing the youth and their approach to a career.
In a strong and expanding economy, youths are hired more often than not and trained on the job site, acquiring the much needed skills to develop a healthy career. However, in a weak economy, youths are turned away for their lack of knowledge and experience, which is not what many employers are searching for, Wessen added.
The few jobs that are available would be then handed to those with the experience and knowledge as opposed to the inexperienced youth.
“It’s not just youth; it’s all ages. Because of the current economic times, a lot of employers want people with experience. I see a lot of people going back to school to sharpen their skills and eventually return to the workplace,” said Shirley Skeggs of the Brea Pridestaff office, a temporary job agency.
There are not very many college students looking for work at this location at Pridestaff, Skeggs said. High school students are not entering the job agency at all because they are not legal to start work at many of the job sites that require an employee to be 18 and over.
Once companies do see an increase in business, they will see staffing services increase, and the employment rate will start to climb again, she said.
At Cal State Fullerton, the Career Center has taken a positive approach to the difficult job market and responds by advocating their Take Five campaign.
The campaign is a suggested plan of action that students should follow if they wish to be successful and find a promising career upon graduation.
Jim Case, director of the Career Center, shared some advice recently with CSUF alumni, saying:
“While it is likely to take longer to find a new opportunity in the current job market, there is a real danger of becoming discouraged, leading to an ineffective job search or in some cases no search at all. The emerging online professional networking tools can provide a competitive advantage for those who carefully invest a few hours each week to broaden their networks. Be sure to get beyond your needs, and focus on what you can do for a potential employer to improve their product, customer service or customer base.”
With the gruesome job market being the way that it is right now, CSUF students can benefit from acquiring the skills they receive from their courses and prepare to put those skills to the test once the baby boomer generation retires and the economy rebounds, Case said.
“Youths must be proactive in identifying what career options are available, what skills, knowledge, and training are needed to pursue a chosen career and what job search services are available to launch their career,” Wessen said.
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