Employers such as McDonald's may see applicants from both unemployed adults and student workers.
This summer, millions of 16 to 24-year-olds will join the labor force, but with Ohio's unemployment rate at 9.4 percent in February, they will face tough competition.
In summer 2008, the youth unemployment rate of 14 percent was the highest since July 1992, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). According to the BLS, "weaker labor market conditions" were to blame for the high unemployment among youth.
Ohio's current unemployment rate is 3.5 percent higher than it was before summer 2008.
According to Don Kell, job center manager for the WorkForce One of Butler County, many unemployed adults are expected to seek jobs traditionally held by young people during the summer.
Oxford's Kroger grocery store has seen a 25 to 50 percent increase in applicants for the summer compared to 2008, according to Kroger's Oxford branch store manager Ed Begley. Begley said he has also seen an increasing number of older applicants, as well as applicants seeking full-time jobs as opposed to part-time jobs, but said he has fewer open positions.
"We probably won't do as much hiring this year," Begley said.
Kell said WorkForce One will be running a youth employment program this summer with money from the federal stimulus package. Even with help from public programs, Kell said finding a job will be "much, much harder" for students this summer.
"(For a student to find a job), their resume or application has to be perfect-clear, concise, easy to read and without any errors in spelling or punctuation," Kell said.
Kell said seasonal employers, such as King's Island, have seen dramatic increases in jobseekers for this summer.
"I've been hearing horror stories from seasonal employers such as amusement parks and the Cincinnati Reds that they are getting hundreds, thousands of applicants," Kell said.
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Given the difficulty in the job market, many students are opting to return to jobs they have previously held rather than seeking internships or jobs away from home.
Miami University first-year Jacob Martin said he will be returning to work as a lifeguard at a pool where he has worked for the past several summers. Martin said the job was close to his home, offered good pay and allowed him to "avoid a job hunt."
Students also face pressure to get experience in their fields of study.
Miami first-year music education major Dan Hamlin said he has applied for an arts management internship at the Cleveland Orchestra and is considering applying for other arts-related internships around his Cleveland-area home.
"If I don't get an internship, I'll probably apply to McDonald's," Hamlin said.
Hamlin said he has worked at McDonald's for four previous summers.
Bill Froude, associate director of Miami's Office of Career Services (OCS) said his office has "revved up" its job search programs this semester to help students find work.
"It's important to keep plugging in and going at it," Froude said. "It's important for students not to give up, even though this is a tough year."
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