For teens seeking a job, it’s the summertime blues

With the economy in decline, teenagers and employers say jobs are out there, but landing one can take longer. Employers say they’re receiving more applications than in the past.

A recent youth job fair at Montgomery College’s community center in Rockville drew 1,000 people, compared to 600 the year before, said Barbara Rodriguez, labor exchange administrator with the division of work force development under the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. About 50 employers were there, she said.

‘‘Even though the economy is not doing the greatest, we’re working with employers to try to help them find workers,” she said.

Maryland’s unemployment increased to 3.7 percent in May, higher than the same time last year but lower than the national unemployment rate of 5.5 percent, which saw the biggest one-month increase since 1986, according to federal labor figures released June 6.

The souring economy means older workers are getting less picky about where they work.

‘‘We have people come in all the time and because people are so desperate to pay the bills they’re taking any jobs,” Rodriguez said. ‘‘Adults are taking jobs that would normally go to young people. This is an employer’s market, unlike past years. This is the first time since the early 1990s that I’ve seen the economy so bad. There’s just not much out there and Maryland is more stable than elsewhere.”

Liz Kubis, 18, of Olney said that unlike several of her friends, she’s fortunate to be returning to her job as a camp counselor where she’s worked for the past few summers.

‘‘I know it’s really hard to find a job. I have five friends who got turned down,” Kubis said.

Roa took a summer job as a coach for a kids’ sports camp.

‘‘The pay is not very good,” she said.

But she’s still hoping to make enough for extra spending money for college.

National Retail Federation Foundation vice president Kathy Mance agreed that young people are having a more difficult time finding work this summer.

‘‘There are still jobs, but they tend to go to older workers who were laid off,” Mance said. ‘‘Kids tend to go to the back of the line, if you will, because more experienced workers are available and taking an interest in retail.”

When young people do find jobs, they either lucked into them or traveled to a tourist destination to live for the summer, she said.

‘‘Their parents want them to have jobs for the summer, but it’s brutal,” she said. ‘‘You have to be aware where the jobs are or stay where the jobs are if they provide housing.”

While young people have often turned to retail stores for summer employment, many stores are already cutting back hours on their regular employees, said Thomas S. Saquella, president of the Maryland Retail Association.

‘‘Business has been really tough going back to last October,” Saquella said. ‘‘I’ve never seen it this bad for such an extended period of time.”

Jamie Miller, spokesman for Giant Food, said the supermarket is still filling summer help positions, mostly to fill in for workers going on vacation.

But Sapphire Neang, 19, of Brookeville, a sophomore at Montgomery College, said finding a job she wants has been difficult. She currently works at a mortgage broker in Montgomery Village, but has been looking for a new part-time job in the medical field without success.

At $70 a fill-up, too much of her current paycheck is going into the tank of her Toyota Highlander sport utility vehicle, she said.

‘‘My mom helps me a lot,” she said. ‘‘Finding [a job] you want is hard.”

A recent youth job fair at Montgomery College’s community center in Rockville drew 1,000 people, compared to 600 the year before, said Barbara Rodriguez, labor exchange administrator with the division of work force development under the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. About 50 employers were there, she said.

‘‘Even though the economy is not doing the greatest, we’re working with employers to try to help them find workers,” she said.

Maryland’s unemployment increased to 3.7 percent in May, higher than the same time last year but lower than the national unemployment rate of 5.5 percent, which saw the biggest one-month increase since 1986, according to federal labor figures released June 6.

The souring economy means older workers are getting less picky about where they work.

‘‘We have people come in all the time and because people are so desperate to pay the bills they’re taking any jobs,” Rodriguez said. ‘‘Adults are taking jobs that would normally go to young people. This is an employer’s market, unlike past years. This is the first time since the early 1990s that I’ve seen the economy so bad. There’s just not much out there and Maryland is more stable than elsewhere.”

Liz Kubis, 18, of Olney said that unlike several of her friends, she’s fortunate to be returning to her job as a camp counselor where she’s worked for the past few summers.

‘‘I know it’s really hard to find a job. I have five friends who got turned down,” Kubis said.

Roa took a summer job as a coach for a kids’ sports camp.

‘‘The pay is not very good,” she said.

But she’s still hoping to make enough for extra spending money for college.

National Retail Federation Foundation vice president Kathy Mance agreed that young people are having a more difficult time finding work this summer.

‘‘There are still jobs, but they tend to go to older workers who were laid off,” Mance said. ‘‘Kids tend to go to the back of the line, if you will, because more experienced workers are available and taking an interest in retail.”

When young people do find jobs, they either lucked into them or traveled to a tourist destination to live for the summer, she said.

‘‘Their parents want them to have jobs for the summer, but it’s brutal,” she said. ‘‘You have to be aware where the jobs are or stay where the jobs are if they provide housing.”

While young people have often turned to retail stores for summer employment, many stores are already cutting back hours on their regular employees, said Thomas S. Saquella, president of the Maryland Retail Association.

‘‘Business has been really tough going back to last October,” Saquella said. ‘‘I’ve never seen it this bad for such an extended period of time.”

Jamie Miller, spokesman for Giant Food, said the supermarket is still filling summer help positions, mostly to fill in for workers going on vacation.

But Sapphire Neang, 19, of Brookeville, a sophomore at Montgomery College, said finding a job she wants has been difficult. She currently works at a mortgage broker in Montgomery Village, but has been looking for a new part-time job in the medical field without success.

At $70 a fill-up, too much of her current paycheck is going into the tank of her Toyota Highlander sport utility vehicle, she said.

‘‘My mom helps me a lot,” she said. ‘‘Finding [a job] you want is hard.”