High school students working less after pandemic, companies struggle to hire

Diners at Vessel Kitchen Photo: Deb DeKoff

PARK CITY, Utah — The COVID-19 pandemic left many people without jobs, including teenage students. However, data suggests that the rate of students aged 16 to 19 who hold positions in the workplace have actually been in a downward trend for the past decade.

According to Zippia, a website that helps people find new jobs and career paths, just under 30% of teenagers ranging from 16 to 19 had jobs throughout the non-summer months of 2020.

Additional data shows that the percentage of students who held jobs in the non-summer months has dropped by 15.5% since 2000.

So why are fewer and fewer students working? The COVID-19 pandemic decreased the number of students actively working after many companies and corporations shut down. Kolmar explains that the pandemic caused 1.9 million teenagers from February 2020 to April 2020 to lose their jobs while adding that “the 30.8% of teens who held summer jobs in 2020 was the lowest rate since the Great Recession’s 29.6% in 2008.”

But, how exactly has the pandemic affected Park City’s job opportunities?

To start, many employees have left the tourism industry because it often requires in-person interaction. This results in fewer available workers, especially for Park City, which relies strongly on its tourism industry.

Many child care centers have closed or raised their prices because of the pandemic, which leads to more and more parents staying home with their children. These parents also may have to take on the challenge of homeschooling their children, causing them to leave their jobs.

Now in 2022, many companies are struggling to find and hire new employees. Junior at Park City High School (PCHS), Brent Allan Johnson, describes that even though he may not have been the ideal candidate for his position as a sales associate at Best Buy, he still got the job.

“They were so desperate for workers, they hired me,” shared Johnson.

Johnson explains that one of the biggest problems in the workforce right now is getting people to continue working considering living expenses are on an upward trend.

“The issue right now is getting people to show up to work because of the whole wage thing … with people not being paid enough to live comfortably,” said Johnson.

As a solution, many companies, including government positions, have been increasing wages and furthering benefits while also loosening requirements in order to attract more workers.

Cat Erlinger, a junior who attends PCHS and works at Vessel Kitchen, shares how it wasn’t hard for her to find a job because of the high number of companies hiring.

Erlinger claims that working a job gives students “some financial freedom and responsibility.”

Senior at PCHS, Cheyenne Tidwell works at Black Rock Mountain Resort as a hostess and a barista.

Because Black Rock Mountain Resort opened during the pandemic, they had the extra struggle of growing their business while also finding people to employ. “It was a brand new company, to begin with. They were opening during the pandemic … and finding people to employ after that time,” explained Tidwell.

Tidwell expresses that not only does having a job help individual students, but it also impacts the economy.

“I think just having a job right now … while the economy is recovering, is important, especially if you are a student. Not only because it helps you, but it also, of course, helps the economy get back together,” shared Tidwell.

Estelle Meneses, a senior at PCHS, works at Park City Hospital as a certified nursing assistant (CNA).

Meneses works with nurses and patients, helping them get their daily activities completed. She also works with physical therapists and respiratory therapists.

In the future, Meneses plans on becoming a registered nurse. Becoming a CNA has allowed her to get a headstart on her career goals.

“Starting out as a high schooler and taking the CNA class at the high school helped me with that, so I went ahead and applied for a job at Park City Hospital,” said Meneses.

While Meneses was taking her CNA class at PCHS, she started looking for opportunities beyond the school.

“Before even finishing my CNA course at Park City High School, I … was already looking around for where I could get a job close to home. And I went ahead and looked at Park City Hospital’s website, and I saw that they were looking for some CNAs or PCTs. After I got my certification as a junior, I waited for six months and got a couple more trainings in. And after that, I applied around January 2022,” explained Meneses.

Still, many Park City High School students are staying busy with jobs outside of the school day. These students, whether they realize it or not, are helping to increase the number of teenage students working since the 2008 recession.

—

For those students looking for their next job, a broad range of companies are hiring for various positions in the Park City area.