Note: Here is the Weekly Summary and a Look Ahead (it will be a busy week).



From Mickey Meese at the NY Times: Fading Summer Jobs

State and local governments, traditionally among the biggest seasonal employers, are knee-deep in budget woes, and the stimulus money that helped cushion some government job programs last summer is running out. Private employers are also reluctant to hire until the economy shows more solid signs of recovery.



So expect fewer lifeguards on duty at public beaches this summer in California, fewer workers at some Massachusetts state parks and camping grounds and taller grass outside state buildings in Kentucky.

Click on graph for large image.

For summer jobs, this will probably be the worst year since the Great Depression.This graph shows the unemployment rate for workers 16 to 24 years old (from the BLS), and the headline unemployment rate (blue). The unemployment rate hit a record 19.6% in April for this group.This probably ties into the recent NY Times article on overwhelming student debt. When I was in college, I was able to find summer jobs that helped me pay my way through college (of course I walked 10 miles through the snow and all that too). Times have really changed ...