By Tom Mullen
The
decline in the economy has continually had a negative impact on the job market.
However, the creeping arm of unemployment is extending its reach further and
further into the college community.
A
paper recently published by assistant professor of economics and education at
Columbia University, Judith E. Scott-Clayton, describes how fewer students are
holding jobs while going to college. As reported on The Cavalier Daily website,
the paper informs that from 2000 to 2008 undergraduate students worked an
average of 22 hours per week in addition to attending classes. From 2009 on that
number has dropped to eight.
In
an email interview Scott-Clayton states that “the declining economy has clearly
reduced the availability of jobs, and that goes for college students as well.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ website the current national
unemployment rate is 8.5 percent. Here in Fort Collins the unemployment rate
has managed to stay below the national level, but it is slowly increasing. From
September to December 2011 the rate has risen from 6 to 6.2 percent.
However,
there is some good news for students seeking work-study jobs. In the interview
Scott-Clayton states that “it is safe to conclude that the decline in student
employment in 2009 was due to a decline in off-campus positions…” She describes
that since work-study jobs are supported by federal funding it is less likely
to see a decrease in the amount available. So if students are seeking a job
with work-study benefits they need not worry because the amount available is still
the same depending on the school.
As
the economy continues decline the number of jobs available to students will
continue to decrease according to Scott-Clayton. Instead of working,
undergraduates will have to focus on their studies.
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