Summer Job Outlook Increases

Maryland students looking for part-time work this summer should find it easier to land a job, according to labor research company Challenger, Gray & Christmas's summer job outlook report released in April.

Gains in the retail and leisure sectors are expected to fuel the part-time job market for teens and college students, according to the report. Growth in these industries creates low-skill, hourly paying jobs that are suited for students without degrees and experience.

The retail sector actually lost 3,000 jobs in March before rebounding in April and adding 29,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bureau economist Sutton Putlia, a retail specialist, attributed the weak March number to a slower than usual layoff period after the holiday hiring season. She called April a "return to trend." There were 424,000 available jobs in the retail sector at the end of March, according to the BLS.

No matter what the data shows, not all students think it will be easier to find a job this summer. Sophomore biochemistry major Kyle Deek has a job repairing tennis courts at Century Tennis in his hometown, Huntington, N.Y., but wants to find a new job. "I doubt I'm going to find one because places don't want to take the time to train people who will only be around for one summer," he said.

Though summer job prospects seem to be improving, the report notes that the market is extremely competitive and that those seeking part-time jobs should take an active approach. Two students with jobs for the summer found jobs not because of effort, but because of who they knew.  

Freshman Gaby Arrazola got a job as hostess at Red Lobster, she believes, because her brother already worked there. She thinks it would have been difficult to find a job if she did not have this connection.

Sophomore Kyle Speed got his job lifeguarding at an Air Force base in Clinton, Md. because his friends who worked there referred him. "I don't think it would be hard to find a job if I didn't have this," he said.