Cost of living. Teens with no jobs

[monkeysox]

The whole COL crisis is exacerbated by huge supermarket chains (one example) who are making huge profits. They don't employ as many young people (automation) so the cost of the kid's needs falls on the parents who have huge bills themselves.
I always had a Saturday or evening job.
Businesses aren't hiring nearly as much as 30 years ago.
Aibu?

Oh dear @Paul2023 that is bad news so many places closing as costs are so high to run a business and employ staff.

Where will these people get jobs as it’s an impossible market for anyone at present 😦

Well done Reeves, you utter idiot!

I can’t believe it. I have a Brewers Fayre walking distance from me. It’s quite nice just for a drink and kids eat free breakfasts.

Its the only family friendly restaurant chain I can think of too..

The only young people that ever apply for jobs at the supermarket I work at are students. Other young people just don't seem to want to work.

It is a shame.
I like going to Beefeater with DM. I know the ones where she lives shut a while ago, but my local one is still here. I had no idea they were all going.

I've noticed our Tesco seems to be hiring teams of evening shelf stackers from out of the area (it's a small place, everyone is familiar). I imagine that's having an impact on student jobs.

Minimum wage for a 16yo is £8 an hour.

I’ve seen lots of posts on mn that teens can’t get jobs but that’s not been my experience. I live in a smallish town in the south west and dd found part time jobs from age 16yo, my 16yo nephew has a pt job in macdonalds, all of my friends teens have found jobs.

There are jobs but they need to apply and then keep applying 🤷‍♀️

It’s not just supermarkets. It’s everywhere and so many factors -
safeguarding
minimum wage and NI
Above and other employer admin means they don’t want to employ a load of teens across a week. They’d rather 1 person,
automation
online shopping and changing retail landscape
And as a consequence the loss of the Saturday job.
cost of living crisis means more older people still working and many who are receiving pension still want to work a bit and those shop jobs are given to them
also education demands pressure and expectations means kids have less time to give to work and if less employers are offering 4-8 hours a week teens are doomed

it’s so sad. Such a shame, my 17yo was lucky and got a pot washing job in a local restaurant 2 evenings a week . Right time right place but most of her friends can’t get a job

Well, yes, but you need there to be a McDonalds, and you need it to be on a decent bus route so they can get to/from work. In smaller towns and more rural areas, there'll be neither.

Also, in, say, a Uni city, there'll be huge demand for part time jobs like that from the Uni students with fast food places being the "go to" places for student jobs.

It’s Mumsnet though, you can’t win either way 🤷‍♀️

Exactly, after four years of Uni a decade ago we were all fighting for coffee shop jobs despite having degrees because of the lack of jobs. The whole University investment idea was such a lie sold to teens. If you've got 24 year olds fighting for minimum wage jobs just to get by then the teens have no chance. I worked as a waitress from 15 but it was 13 hour shifts with one 20 minute break and treated like crap. Wouldn't really recommend that either.

It’s no better for graduates either. My grandson keeps being told employers need experience but how do they get that experience? Thus far he’s worked in a restaurant/pub, a care home, washing cars but nothing equivalent to the jobs he is capable of doing.

My teen DGC live in a rural area, with small market towns dotted around, but there are no buses to their village. Both have p/t work, one in hospitality, both at home and at uni, the other on a local farm. Most of their friends work too. Parents knew when they moved there they would have to transport their DC to school, work etc.

@Badbadbunny if you live somewhere with no bus route then you accept you’re going to have to ferry kids about 🤷‍♀️ or they get a bike or learn to drive as soon as they turn 17.

Odd isn't it. People on minimum wage are struggling to pay for food but minimum wage is the problem, not the companies with ever growing profits. Crazy how many people will advocate for the super rich, even to their own detriment.

My 15 year old has a once a month leaflet round - pays almost nothing for the hours it takes but it’s something which shows a little work ethic. He also has just started volunteering at a local historical site doing manual work (finished GCSEs - long summer) - they have got him painting and doing some gardening so far. Hopefully skills that might be of use in future.

I am hoping he will get a proper Saturday job come September and A levels. We have a few independent businesses locally he can approach. It’s tough.

They don’t want 16 year olds though, too much H&S and restrictions. No point in employing someone that can only do half a job

From 1.4.2026 it's £10.85 for 18 year olds a d £8 for 17 year olds

How can they learn to drive if they don't have any money?

I’m in the NE and it’s awful for teens. Most of DDs friends who have jobs got them through family.
The problem here is most places do not want Saturday staff anymore, they want you to be available during the week. DDs friend has a job Friday afternoons/Saturday. Even though that’s his contract they want to change it all the time.
None of them have been able to get interviews for places like McDonalds.
id love for DD to get a job, she’s very shy and can’t work with food, needs to work around college, there’s very little left to apply for.

Exactly. Driving lessons are at least £30 so that’s 3 hours of work needed to just pay a lesson. Then how can they afford a car and more to the point, the insurance for it?

£30? They are double that here.

I paid £35 for 90 minutes and that was 16 years ago. I would have thought it was a hell of a lot more now.

When I was teenager most people had a Saturday job in shops and pubs which introduced them to the world of work, discipline, how to interact with people and the realisation that work gives you money. Today thanks to ridiculous business rates, worker’s rights laws, national insurance costs etc there are fewer high street shops and sadly young people have become an expensive liability for smsll businesses. All very sad for youngsters.