Teens who work low paying ‘McJobs’ do better later in life

It’s the summertime, but living may not be that easy for teenagers who decided to take on part-time jobs in July and August, and perhaps even during the school months. However, findings from a new study suggest that 15-year-olds who work at so-called “McJobs” will perform better later in life.

A report conducted by the UBC Sauder School of Business entitled “Beneficial ‘child labour’: The impact of adolescent work on future professional outcomes” concluded that teenagers who spend their evenings, weekends and summer breaks working at a low-paying, part-time jobs gain a competitive advantage over their peers who decided to opt out of working at a part-time gig.

Furthermore, the study discovered that teenagers actually improve their career prospects the more hours they work, especially if those working hours are scheduled throughout their term, which prompts them to be more organized and to manage their time well.

Suggesting teenagers work at a low-skilled, minimum wage job, otherwise colloquially known as a “McJob,” would be a better alternative for parents who usually spend hundreds, if not, thousands of dollars to keep their children occupied during the summer months. The reason why it’s a superior choice is because a 15-year-old can decide what they like and don’t like doing, what they’re good at and can learn from an adult working environment, whether it’s preparing food, cleaning tables or serving customers at a pet store.

“Parents may think that their kids could do better than a job at the local fast food joint,” said study co-author and Sauder professor Marc-David L. Seidel in a statement.”But our study shows even flipping burgers has value – particularly if it leads to part-time work later during school term.”

Of course, there is such a thing as too many hours. The report found that the number of hours spent at work to be beneficial for a teenager would be up to 33 hours per week throughout the term and up to 43 hours during the summer – anything beyond these hours showcased a negative impact on their lives.

The study authors noted that this study was conducted in the developed world. This means that Western countries institute labor laws for youth that protects them, compared to developing nations where teenagers are compelled to work out of financial necessity.

“Adolescent labour has been stigmatized as exploitative with many parents opting to put their kids in summer camp rather than summer jobs,” added Seidel. “However, our research shows that working can offer educational and developmental opportunities that prepare adolescents for the real world.”

The study was conducted utilizing data from the Statistics Canada Youth in Transition Survey, which examined nearly a quarter of a million 15-year-old teenagers and their work history for a decade-long period starting from the age of 15 to 25 in 2009.

Unfortunately for teens who wish to look for work may have a difficult time doing so. Most nations suffer from a youth jobless rate in the double-digits: in the United States, it’s at 13.2 percent, and in Canada, it’s at 13.3 percent.

The study appears in the journal Research in the Sociology of Work.