Proportion of 16 and 17-year-olds in summer jobs almost halves over 20 years

Will (left) and Ethan are looking for jobs in their hometown, Lutterworth in Leicestershire

It's tougher for teenagers to find summer work, according to new figures.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found the proportion of 16 and 17-year-olds in education and work has almost halved in 20 years.

"It's harder right now to find a job because apart from having a paper round for a year, I haven't had much experience in retail, which is what I'm applying for," says Will Kennedy, 16.

"Employers are looking for people with experience."

In 1997, 43% of 16 and 17-year-olds had summer jobs.

Last year 22% did.

Will and his friend Ethan Smith have just finished their GCSEs and they say it's been hard to fit in work experience around their studies.

"I wanted to focus more academically, whereas some of my friends [were] working in the chippy or something like that", says Ethan.

He thinks schools should incorporate work experience in to the curriculum.

"A neighbouring school to us do that. Every Wednesday they can go out, get work experience and get paid and I think that's a really good idea."

What's not clear is the actual reason why fewer 16 and 17-year-olds aren't working in the summer.

It could be that under-18s can't do as many hours legally. If you're under 18, you can do a maximum of 40 hours a week, while over-18s can do 48 hours.

Cafe owner Danny Gill

Danny Gill runs a cafe in the boys' hometown, Lutterworth in Leicestershire.

He employs two 17-year-olds and says attitude is more important than experience.

"It's not just a case of putting in a CV somewhere now. I'm looking for a little bit more initiative," he says.

"The last lady I recruited, she was in here with her friends at lunchtime, we were really busy, and she just got up and said, 'Do you need a hand?'

"She came and washed pots for 20 minutes and she's still here now."

He wants staff to commit for longer than one summer.

"I need to invest a lot of time with that person to deliver the service my customers expect, so if I've only got them for two or three months, it would make it more difficult to take that person on."

Pub manager Stacey Castle

But Stacey Castle, who runs a nearby pub, says she needs temporary staff to cover the busier summer months.

"Yesterday we were extremely busy and I could have done with a few more staff," she says.

"Waitressing can be hard, but we do give training."

Shop owner Ruth lord

Ruth Lord runs a doll-making shop in the town and says teenagers couldn't learn the specialist skills she needs in a few months.

"I have 16-year-olds coming in here looking for work and it's difficult to take them on for such a short time," she explains.

"They need to be able to do lots of little things and some people are complete naturals but it's ever so hard to find them.

"To be honest, for somebody who's only temporary it's not worth the hassle."

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