Teenagers ’embracing gig economy’ with traditional Saturday job on the wane
The traditional Saturday job appears to be no longer a rite of passage for today’s teenagers – as around half the proportion now do this type of work compared with their parents’ generation, a survey has found.
Just over a fifth (23%) of teenagers report having this type of part-time work – compared with 43% of parents who had such a job when they were younger, financial services provider OneFamily found.
Despite not having this steady work to rely on for cash, nearly half (45%) of teenagers surveyed reported doing informal short-term “gigs” to earn some money.
While their parents may have had set hours working in a shop or on a paper round, teenagers will now often look for a variety of small jobs which they fit in as and when they can, the research found.
Some older teenagers also reported using apps to find odd jobs which could earn them money such as mowing the lawn – a technology which their parents would have not have been able to access when they were young.
Over a third (37%) of those earning money from odd jobs believe this type of work is the most lucrative way of working.
Four in 10 (40%) teenagers who earn money want to save up for big expenses like holidays or a new gadget, with half (50%) working so they can spend their money as they choose.
Many teenagers feel the traditional Saturday job is no longer available to them.
A quarter (24%) of teenagers in full-time education report weekend roles no longer exist and one in six (17%) teenagers feel businesses do not want to employ young people.
Concerns that a job could be a distraction from schoolwork also stand in the way of some young people getting part-time work, the survey found.
Among those not doing paid work, the top reasons for not having a job were that they felt they were too young, that they did not have time because of studies and that their parents wanted them to focus on their education.
Two-fifths (40%) of parents with teenagers who do not work said they want their children to concentrate on their studies instead of working.
But many parents said working as a teenager had benefited them.
Seven in 10 who worked (70%) said it taught them a good work ethic, 40% said they developed skills to manage money and over a third (35%) said it helped them find out how to budget.
Steve Ferrari, managing director of children’s savings at OneFamily, said: “We would encourage parents to see the benefits of their children working while studying.
“The lessons that part-time employment – in all its forms – can instil, from a good work ethic to earning and budgeting, is invaluable, particularly during adolescent years.”
Some 1,000 teenagers and 1,000 parents of teenagers were surveyed.
– Here are the top five jobs teenagers do now, according to the survey from OneFamily:
1. Dog walking
2. Cleaning
3. Babysitting
4. Car washing
5. Gardening
– And here are the top five jobs parents said they did as teenagers, according to OneFamily:
1. Babysitting
2. Working in a shop
3. Delivering newspapers
4. Dog walking
5. Cleaning