It’s an exciting week in the Golden Isles. Kids are out of school, Memorial Day has passed and vacation season is in full swing. Last week, I heard on the radio a woman in Atlanta rejoicing that traffic would be lighter now that school is out. I laughed, remembering the first summer after I moved to Brunswick from Atlanta. I quickly had to adjust to a new and opposite way of thinking about traffic patterns. Atlanta may slow down for the summer, but here in Coastal Georgia, we come alive with activity.
This is our season to shine. Folks come from all over the country to play on our beaches, relax by our pools, dine in our restaurants, shop in our stores, and reside in our homes and hotels. And we go to work to serve them with smiles, introducing them to our Isles’ most golden attribute — its people.
When I say we go to work, I mean it literally. According to the National Bureau of Labor Statistics, businesses in the Brunswick area employed 100 more people in January 2018 than in January 2017. But, in June of 2017, we had 2,000 more jobs than in January of the same year. With a total labor force around 53,000, this seasonal fluctuation in employment is no small deal. And data from previous years looks similar — each summer, we see a temporary but significant rise in employment.
I know what some of you are thinking, though. Many of these jobs are part-time and/or temporary, and a lot of them are held by high school or college students trying to make some extra cash while school is out. So, maybe they aren’t actually that big a deal after all.
If that’s what you’re thinking, you are not all wrong. Most of our seasonal jobs are temporary, and many are filled by “kids.” And, many of them are low-paying jobs. In fact, though we gained 2,000 jobs, average weekly earnings fell from $681.60 in January 2017 to $635.36 in June 2017. But, I do not believe this means these jobs are insignificant for our labor market.
In fact, I believe those low-paying, seasonal jobs are some of the most valuable jobs we have, both for the employer and for the employee, especially if that employee is a high school or college student.
The employers are the clearer winner. They get cheap labor to fill in the gaps created by our summer influx of business.
I have heard some people argue that the employees are losing — working hard for little pay. If we consider only current financial gains, this may be true. But, if you have ever worked one of these summer jobs, as I have several summers, you will likely agree with me that the experience itself is worth at least as much as the wages.
Labor economists tell us that experience increases one’s productivity and is a key determinant of one’s future wages. This is one reason the School of Business and Public Management at College of Coastal Georgia is so proud of our internship program, which requires every student in our program to graduate with work experience in their field.
Work experience — whether a summer job or internship; whether paid, unpaid, or underpaid — improves your prospects of obtaining future employment and of earning higher future wages.
So, if you have the opportunity, snag one of our 2,000 seasonal positions. Your future self and our current and future economies will thank you.
Reg Murphy Center