紐時賞析／就業難 美國青少年暑期打工機會減少

The Summer Job, a Rite of Passage for Teens, May Be Fading Away

就業難 美國青少年暑期打工機會減少

Ugenie Labranche, 16, who has been searching for a summer job since January, thought her luck had finally turned when she spotted a “hiring now” sign outside a Dunkin’ in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. But when she called recently, she was told the store wasn’t hiring.

16歲的拉布蘭奇自1月以來就在尋找暑期工作。她在賓州詹金敦Dunkin' Donuts門市外看見「招聘中」的標牌，以為自己終於走運了，但當她最近打電話詢問時，卻被告知該店已不再招聘。

It has happened a few times. A sign in the window, hopeful calls, only to be told the position is no longer available. Labranche, who will be a junior in the fall, has applied to more than a dozen jobs but still hasn’t landed one. Most of the time, she doesn’t hear back at all.

這種狀況發生過幾次。門市櫥窗貼著招聘告示，她滿懷希望地打電話過去，只被告知該職位已經沒缺。拉布蘭奇秋季就要升上11年級，她已經申請十幾份工作，至今一份都找不到。大多數時候，她根本得不到回覆。

“It is frustrating because there are a lot of kids my age that want to work and they just can’t,” she said.

「這很令人沮喪，有很多像我這樣的年輕人都想工作，但就是找不到，」她說。

Teenagers across the country are entering one of the toughest summer job markets in recent years, as traditional jobs at restaurants, amusement parks, pools and stores either pause new hiring or choose adults for those roles.

全美各地青少年面臨近年來最嚴峻的暑期就業市場之一。因為餐廳、遊樂園、游泳池和商店等傳統工作不是停止招聘，就是選擇成年人來擔任這些職位。

In May, the unemployment rate for teenagers rose to 13.4%, from 13% in April and 12.4% a year ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

美國勞動統計局指出，5月青少年失業率從4月的13%上升到13.4%，高於去年同期的12.4%。

A tighter labor market suggests that teen unemployment could reach its highest level in over a decade, said Andy Challenger, senior vice president of the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. In May 2015, the unemployment rate for teenagers was 17.8%, but it began to decline before the pandemic.

一間再就業安置企業Challenger, Gray & Christmas資深副總裁查林傑指出，更緊縮的勞動市場意味著青少年失業率可能達到超過10年來最高水平。2015年5月，青少年失業率為17.8%，但在疫情之前已開始下降。

This year, the firm estimates there will be about 1 million new summer jobs for 16- to 19-year-olds. It could be the lowest number since 2010, Challenger said.

該公司估計，今年約有100萬個工作機會提供給16至19歲的青少年。查林傑表示，這可能是2010年以來最低的數額。

Uncertainty about the economy is a major reason, said Alicia Sasser Modestino, an economist at Northeastern University in Boston. Some businesses are freezing roles or cutting seasonal positions over concerns about lower consumer confidence and fears that consumer spending will weaken under President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.

波士頓東北大學經濟學家莫德斯蒂諾表示，經濟不確定性是主因。有些企業因憂心消費者信心下降，及在美國總統川普關稅政策下，消費者支出可能減弱，因此凍結職缺和減少季節性職位。

“Now when we’re starting to see the labor market cool off a bit in general, we’re seeing it hit teenagers harder, and teenagers first,” she said. “That’s because they’re really the canary in the coal mine. They are the last to be hired, the first to be fired.”

她說：「現在，我們開始看見勞動市場整體略微降溫時，也發現這對青少年打擊更大，而且他們是首當其衝。這是因為他們就像危險的先兆。他們總是最後被雇用，最先被解雇。」

Tourism, another teen job driver, is down. Spending from international visitors to the United States is expected to drop by $8.3 billion this year, according to a recent Oxford Economics report.

觀光業是另一個青少年就業的主要來源，也出現下滑。牛津經濟研究院日前報告顯示，今年國際遊客在美國消費金額預計將減少83億美元。

文/Kailyn Rhone　譯／羅方妤

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張佑生

就業不易，連青少年暑假打工都難，因為成年人搶著做。標題的Rite of Passage指人生中特定階段的「象徵性轉變行為」，如畢業典禮、初次工作、成年禮等。或描述生命歷程中被視為意義重大的某個事件或成就：Leading a delegation to China is a rite of passage for any political leader.也可當形容詞：a rite-of-passage novel.

A canary in a/the coal mine原意指早期礦工會帶金絲雀入坑以偵測有毒氣體，金絲雀是最早被影響的警示者，在本文，青少年被視為勞動市場冷卻的「預警指標」，表明這不是孤立事件，而是系統性問題的早期警告：Talent opting out of top jobs is a canary in the coal mine.菁英人才開始拒絕領導職位，這不只是個人選擇，而可能是組織或社會出現健康、文化、價值或結構性危機的警訊。

另外文中的季節性工作 (Seasonal Jobs)是指在特定時間（如暑假）需求增加的短期工作。趙婷(Chloe Zhao) 以《游牧人生／無依之地》(Nomadland) 2021年獲頒奧斯卡最佳導演獎和最佳影片獎，電影便以此為主題。