A SPECIAL REPORT: THE SUMMER JOB MARKET : ‘Up and Booming’

Kids seeking summer jobs haven’t had it this good in a generation. With the unemployment rate at 4.3%, a 28-year low, the market for ambitious young workers is “up and booming,” said Adele Scheele of Cal State Northridge’s Career Center. “Jobs are up in every area.”

Debt Reduction

The job market may be hot, but some jobs always pay more than others--probably the ones you didn’t prepare for in school. Ana Rojas, 23, left, a spring sociology graduate of CSUN, chatted with Pacific Bell sales manager David Werble at a recent campus job fair, hoping to find a job that would earn enough money for her to pay off her school debt.

A Novel Approach

Burbank’s novel way to help young workers and city businesses alike: Businesses pay the city $900, which covers 140 hours of student work, plus workers’ compensation and payroll taxes, said Michael Flad, director of the Burbank Employment and Student Training Program. The businesses don’t have to put the short-term student workers on their books.

Move On

If all doesn’t go well, try a new employer. A federal study released in May of 14- to 22-year-old workers suggests that those who jump from job to job early in their careers actually earn more over time than those who stay put in their jobs.