$16.30… the number that has San Diego high school students in a chokehold.

Whether the money is going towards their college fund, food, or car payments, that number is becoming significantly harder for teenagers to reach. Jobs that had once encouraged teens to apply are adjusting policies and hiring at older ages. An increase in unanswered applications is raising the question; what is causing this shift in hiring at minimum wage jobs?

It seems that many employers are looking for candidates that can have a multitude of qualities that adolescents tend to lack, one of these being the ability to work flexible hours.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 16 and 17-year-olds may only work 4 hours on school days, and 8 hours on non-school days. Additionally, due to school hours, most teenagers can only work late afternoons and evenings, which puts them at a noticeable disadvantage against employees that are 18+ and can work full days along with overtime.

Another issue teenage workers face is reliable transportation.

As reported by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, the number of 16 to 19-year-olds with driver’s licenses is continuously decreasing. The cause of this decline varies with each individual; whatever the case may be, money, insurance, or a simple lack of motivation, the number of driving teens is getting lower and lower. With no driver’s license, how many of them can confidently check off the reliable transportation box on a job application?

Along with these mostly uncontrollable issues, lack of experience also seems to be hindering young people from getting jobs. Finding a first job as a teenager is proving to be an endless cycle of needing work experience but not being able to earn any due to not being able to work any entry-level jobs.

Editor’s note: This is a monthly opinion piece featuring takes in and out of the classroom from students at our area high schools. This month’s piece was written by Helix Charter High School student Aydan Carey.

Lead photo credit: Pixabay.com