Where Are The Summer Job Opportunities

It’s that time of year. School is out, and many high school and college students are already beginning their summer jobs. Temporary summer work stints aren’t just for students though. If you’re going through a job transition or interested in exploring different parts of the world, then a summer job might be just the thing.

The most prevalent summer jobs opportunities are not lifeguarding by the pool or working at a gift shop on the beach. Here are the top sectors to consider:

• Education is far and away the top summer job category, and other positions working with kids are not far behind.
• Hospitality has the highest concentration of summer jobs thanks to summer resorts opening for business.

Here’s a warning though: If you haven’t started searching for your summer job yet, time is running out.

When to nail down that summer job

Summer job opportunities have become significantly more prevalent in recent years. The past few years of data show that summer job postings top out in April or May and then decline sharply until they hit bottom in October. Job seekers seem to be aware of this trend and follow a similar pattern: Searches for summer jobs peak in May and then decline rapidly.

What are the summer job opportunities?

When we think about classic summer jobs, a lifeguard or cashier at an ice cream parlor come to mind. But is this image accurate? Job posting data collected over the internet allow us to identify which types of summertime work are most prevalent this year.

Teachers are often under contract to teach from the fall through the spring, but many students need continued education in the summer. As a result, demand for summer educators is high. Demand is slightly greater for elementary school teachers, followed by high school teachers, tutors and special education teachers, according to Indeed summer job postings.

Many education positions require specialized skills and degrees, so they may not be options for people without the necessary background.

Other positions are related to caring for or entertaining children while they’re out of school. Babysitters, camp counselors and child care assistants are a few examples of summer jobs in most demand in the social/recreational service and childcare categories.

Which jobs opportunities are most heavily concentrated in the summer?

In recent years the summer job postings are fewer in the hospitality category, but still this is one of the largest summer job category. But hospitality rises to the first spot among job categories with the heaviest concentration of summer opportunities.

Tourism in Europe, for example, is the most glaring example of an industry heavily dependent on temporary summer employees. In many vacation hotspots, hotels and restaurants are nearly empty three-quarters of the year. So, not surprisingly, their demand for labor changes dramatically over the course of the year.

Where are the summer job opportunities?

Of course, there are geographic differences in demand for summer employees. Tropical locations see less flux in demand for seasonal workers because their climate is so consistently balmy. However, as noted above, most demand for summer work is related to educating, caring for and entertaining children—which may vary less on depending locations.

Most of the highly sought positions were related to summer activities such as pool managers, tour guide, camp managers, lifeguards and park rangers. The top ten, according to Indeed, are:

Alas, summer job postings have undoubtedly begun their steep decline this month. Nonetheless, rising employer demand for summer employees combined with restrictions on the supply of seasonal foreign workers could make 2017 a great year for all procrastinators who put off your summer job search until the last minute.