Over Half of Employers Hiring Summer Workers Plan to Pay Twice the Federal Minimum Wage, CareerBuilder Survey Finds
- Employers are less certain about hiring plans compared to last year
- The majority of employers hiring for the summer say they typically complete their hiring by May
CHICAGO – May 19, 2016 – Workers who secure a summer job this year may see higher paychecks than in years past. Fifty-six percent of employers offering summer jobs have roles that pay $15 or more per hour — more than double the Federal minimum wage of $7.25 and a three percentage point increase from last year. Nearly 3 in 4 employers (75 percent) hiring for the summer will pay their summer hires or interns $10 or more per hour on average — up from 72 percent in 2015.
Two-thirds of employers (67 percent) hiring for the summer plan to offer their seasonal workers pay increases if they work with their organization for more than one summer.
The national survey was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder between February 10 and March 17, 2016, and included a representative sample of 2,186 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes in the private sector.
“Seasonal hires can expect to receive not only higher wages this year, but also extended employment as the majority of employers plan to consider some workers for permanent positions once the summer ends,” said Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder. “In addition to the traditional summer roles, employers are also hiring for positions that require a high skill level in IT, engineering, financial services and research among others.”
Summer hiring by industry and company size
While the percentage of employers who plan to hire summer workers this year (29 percent) is down from last year (36 percent), part of that drop could be attributed to uncertainty around whether headcount will ultimately be added. Fourteen percent of employers said they’re not sure if they will hire summer workers, up from 8 percent last year.
Employers at companies of all sizes are planning to hire this season, with larger companies leading the way; however, nearly a quarter (up slightly from last year) of companies with fewer than 50 employees also plan to bring on workers over the summer months.
- Companies with 50 or fewer employees — 23 percent are hiring summer workers, compared to 21 percent last year.
- Companies with 250 or fewer employees — 27 percent, compared to 27 percent last year.
- Companies with more than 500 employees — 31 percent, compared to 45 percent last year.
Employers hiring seasonal workers this summer by industry:
- IT: 41 percent
- Leisure and hospitality: 38 percent
- Retail: 33 percent
- Sales: 31 percent
- Manufacturing: 30 percent
- Professional and business services: 28 percent
- Financial services: 22 percent
- Health care: 16 percent
Types of jobs available
While summer jobs are commonly associated with recreation and outdoor work, many employers whose companies are hiring for the summer say they are hiring for a variety of professional and support positions, including:
- Customer Service (27 Percent)
- Office Support (21 Percent)
- Information Technology (20 Percent)
- Engineering (19 Percent)
- Sales (14 Percent)
- Banking (13 Percent)
- Research (9 Percent)
- Event Planning (7 Percent)
Not all summer jobs are temporary. A large majority of employers hiring this summer — 76 percent — say they will consider some summer hires for permanent positions.
When to apply?
For job seekers hoping to secure a seasonal position, now is the time to get applications out the door. Two in five employers hiring for the summer say they typically complete their hiring in May (41 percent) – 38 percent are already done (typically finish in April or before). Thirteen percent finish in June, 4 percent in July and another 4 percent in August.
To land a summer gig, Haefner has these tips for job seekers:
- Get specific about your accomplishments. Provide examples of how you’ve contributed to previous organizations, quantifying results whenever possible. If you’re in high school or college, you can reference class work or involvement in school or community organizations.
- Show you’re knowledgeable about the company. Talk about something interesting you recently read about the company during the interview. It underscores your enthusiasm for the job.
- Talk about long-term interest. If you’re interested in a permanent position with the organization, inform the hiring manager up front. It can set you apart as a serious candidate.
- Submit a cover letter. Often overlooked by job seekers, the cover letter enables you to showcase your communication skills, grab their attention and highlight your main selling points.
- Remember to send a thank you. A thank you note or email shows follow through and enables you to further emphasize why you’re the best candidate for the job.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,186 hiring and human resource managers ages 18 and over (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) between February 10 and March 17, 2016 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 2,186, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 2.10 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.
About CareerBuilder®
As the global leader in human capital solutions, CareerBuilder specializes in cutting-edge HR software as a service to help companies with every step of the recruitment process from acquire to hire. CareerBuilder works with top employers across industries, providing job distribution, sourcing, workflow, CRM, data and analytics in one pre-hire platform. It also operates leading job sites around the world. Owned by TEGNA Inc. (NYSE:TGNA), Tribune Media (NYSE:TRCO) and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.
Media Contact
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