As students start to think about summer jobs, local businesses that employ year-round are finding trouble hiring teen employees. The problem has persisted for years, especially in Western Springs, which creates challenges for business operators.

“I don’t understand why there isn’t pride involved in having a job, making your own money and using it to buy things,” Debbie Feiler, Owner of BB’s Doughnuts and Beautiful Beginnings, said. “I think we are taking away their desire to work and be productive and see the fruits of your own labor. I’ve been working since 13. There’s a pride involved in that. We’re taking away the opportunity to experience this. Everybody thinks that you will learn from doing school and doing sports, but you’ll learn by working as well. You’re going to learn how to deal with the real world.”

Even though youth unemployment was at 9.2 percent according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,  business operators have had difficulty finding teens to maintain jobs when they don’t need the money. Part of the reason that teens don’t work is the fact that the businesses are located in an affluent area, where parents pay for a lot of what teens are buying, Feiler said. Since the teens don’t need the money, they feel like they shouldn’t work, creating a challenge for local businesses.

“It’s a big stress factor,” Feiler said. “I usually have to ask full time employees to take on extra hours when a lot of them look forward to their weekends off.”

Another part of the problem is the demand of sports and other after-school activities, Feiler said. College resumes demand a lot from students and a lot of kids participate in sports to add to their applications.

However, this can impact their availability to work, even though some business owners and managers are willing to work with busy students, Linda Johnson, owner of True Value Village Hardware, said.

“A lot of kids like to be involved in sports and extracurriculars,” Joe Lane, Manager at Casey’s Market in Western Springs, said. “But if you do, you can’t commit to a job. You have to pick one or the other.”

Early jobs have been shown to have a significant influence on a person’s life, Lane said. It has been shown to help kids focus and organize their schoolwork better.

“It teaches about responsibility, accountability and work ethic,” Lane said. “You can tell that people mature, and it can only help later in life.”

While they have been struggling recently to recruit, teens have been great employees for each business, Johnson said.

“I’ll re ad every application,” Feiler said. “Even if I don’t hire you right away, I keep them all just in-case we need somebody during a busy time of year later on.”

If students are interested in finding a job, they can check the “Student Job Postings” tab on the College/Career Center’s web page.