Summer jobs continue to be a source of money for many young people who try to earn some cash during this time of year before going back to school. As there have been changes in this type of work, there are a few tips to keep in mind if you want to work in the upcoming summer season.
Summer is a time when student holidays can be turned into a period of working to make extra money. This is a well-established tradition in the United States, and unlike in other countries, it is still alive and strong.
However, when it comes to looking for summer jobs, some things have changed and it is important to keep them in mind.
Summer jobs are no longer limited to being close to home
A large percentage of summer jobs for students were considered commuter jobs. This means that the person did not have to travel very far to get this job.
Sectors such as the hotel and catering industry, leisure, culture, etc., in general, offered jobs for which young people from the same geographical areas were usually hired.
With the globalization brought about by the internet and social networks, community work has changed a lot. Nowadays, there is a wider range of jobs available. Therefore, when looking for a job for the summer, it is important not to focus only on the immediate geographical area and broaden the scope of work to have more offers.
More and more sectors are opening up to temporary work
This is another important point. Not so long ago, temporary work (especially in the summer) was much more available in some sectors than in others. Today, this has changed significantly.
When looking for summer jobs, or any other holiday season, the services industry continues to be the main focus of job offers. But other sectors have opened up to temporary seasonal work.
It is common, for example, to find job offers to cover the holidays of other workers in sectors such as technology, low-skilled jobs in manufacturing, and so on.
When looking for temporary job, don’t just focus on the obvious and check out all the possible jobs you might be interested in. There is an increasing variety of jobs on offer.
Wages have gone down
In the end, this is another fundamental key you need to understand. To say that wages have gone down does not mean that you earn less today than you did 30 years ago. But, in general, this is what is happening in proportion.
The purchasing power of wages for seasonal work has fallen sharply, especially in the last decade. This reduction is even greater in the case of student jobs. Therefore, when looking for summer jobs, you should be aware of the salaries you will be offered and whether they are interesting for your pocket or, on the contrary, you should try to find another, better paid job.