For recent Eastlake High School graduate Andy Shee, working a summer job this year was a foregone conclusion. Fortunately for Shee, he was able to find work at the park because of his prior lifeguard experience at the Columbia Fitness Club.
Across the nation, many jobseekers Shee’s age have not been so lucky. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for teenagers rose from 15.4 percent in April to 18.7 percent in May. This is significantly higher than this season last year when the unemployment rate for teenagers rose from 15.3 percent in April to 15.7 percent in May. The unemployment rate for all workers rose from 5 to 5.5 percent from April to May 2008. Here in Sammamish, though, popular employers say they are still looking to hire teenagers as they have in the past.
Published in the Sammamish Review. Read the story.
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