Budget-challenged Mass. must still help put youths to work
Rosalie Lawless
A recent Worcester Business Journal article (Teens urge Baker: Reverse cut to jobs program) pointed out that the rise in the state's minimum wage will have the unintended consequence of diminishing the number of youth we're able to subsidize in the state-funded YouthWorks summer jobs program. Youth advocates fear employers will refrain from hiring younger workers because they might not be able to afford them, or feel their output is not commensurate with the increased wage.
This is a concern because a strong workforce is in everyone's best interest. It helps area businesses grow and thrive, allowing workers to have better job prospects, which, in turn, allows them to spend more, helping businesses continue to grow. In short, a strong workforce is part of what economists call “a virtuous circle.”
We also know from research that one of the best ways to ensure our emerging workforce has strong work skills is to get young people work experience. On-the-job training, internships, subsidized jobs, and good old part-time after-school jobs can help them gain the experience and skills they need for future career success. The Central Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board, which oversees the public workforce system and brings together business leaders, educators, labor and other stakeholders to help propel economic growth, coordinates numerous programs, including Connecting Activities, that help schools broker internships for young people and organizes other work readiness activities. With the state's $2.7 million investment, nearly 10,000 high school students have gained work experience, collectively earning more than $13.9 million in private-sector wages. Unfortunately, its funding has been declining since 2007, when it received $7.1 million.
Regarding the effects of the increased minimum wage on youth employment, there should be more study to determine if there's a drop-off in teen hiring this summer and beyond, and if so, whether the benefits of a separate minimum wage for younger workers may be part of the solution.
In the meantime, Governor Baker should use his bully pulpit to help educate the private sector at the need to hire youth or lead them to opportunities through programs such as ours — Connecting Activities and YouthWorks. While I hope the governor will work to restore funding for such programs to prior levels, I also urge the private sector to step up and work with such youth-hiring programs and hire youth who otherwise would not gain a foothold in the workplace.
We recognize the need for the governor to stabilize and balance the state's budget, but we also hope that investing in our commonwealth's youth will remain a priority for his administration and others, since this is, ultimately, a battle for our economic future.
Rosalie Lawless, human resources director at Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital, in Worcester, is board chair at the Central Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board, also based in Worcester.
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