Private industry, nonprofit organizations and our government are participating in efforts to solve the unemployment problem. The U.S. Department of Labor is particularly active in efforts toward full employment. A major thrust is the Job Opportunities in the Business Sector (JOBS) Program, which consists of a partnership between government and business working together to hire the hard-core unemployed and pay them as they train. Another approach is the Concentrated Employment Program, which provides all man power and related services in areas where there is the most need. Out-of-school training is part of this campaign. New Careers offers experience to youths in preparing them for regular jobs. Some of these pro grams necessitate going into areas of unemployment instead of waiting for those without jobs to come to employment offices. Still another approach is for employers to develop jobs for those in need. In some cases employers and local agencies have set up training programs for people who don't have the necessary skills to fill certain jobs. Many of these programs are intended for young people who have little or no work experience, and who would have great difficulty in finding jobs on their own.
Since a job-especially your first one-is so important, you must not trust to blind luck. But that's just what you'll be doing if you begin your search without enough knowledge or information about jobs, about how to go about finding them and about yourself as a worker. There are many who can help you in your search. You'll be doing yourself a favor if you take advantage of the experience and knowledge that is available to you.
The State Employment Service
Every state has an employment service in your town or nearby. This office can help you find a suitable job. You should use its services.
No one looking for a job should be denied the opportunity to work because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex or age. The law and federal regulations specifically prohibit such discrimination. Strong efforts are being made by government, private industry, labor unions and community groups to bring about equal employment opportunity for everybody.
The state employment office receives requests for workers from various employers in your community. The staff is familiar with jobs that are available and with those that are more difficult to obtain. Counselors have occupational information and forecasts based on local conditions and they know the hiring requirements and wages in your area. The office also gives tests which will help you find out and measure your aptitudes and abilities. With their understanding of how to relate test scores to jobs, these counselors can help you find the work you can do best, and also put you in touch with employers.
Other kinds of assistance, such as apprenticeship or training programs, are also available through your state employment service. Some local offices have an apprenticeship information center that works closely with employers and unions. Even where the employment service has no apprenticeship information center, the personnel knows what is available for you.
If you are under 22 years of age, your employment service office may be able to help you through one of the youth opportunity centers located in large cities around the country. These centers are especially designed to help young people prepare for and find jobs.
Factories and other places of business are not always within easy reach, so that the best and most direct way to reach them is by submitting a resume, which is really a selling instrument that can help you in locating a job.
From the JOB-FLO report you can learn if there's a job in Chicago when you are jobless in Philadelphia. The U.S. Employment Service, in combination with each state employment service, issues a monthly report called "Occupations in Demand," which provides de tails about jobs that were most plentiful during the previous month. It is designed to depict the job-opportunity patterns month-by-month. The report may be obtained at any local employment office. JOB-FLO reports tell whether there is large demand for specific kinds of workers in a particular city or region. It also shows what the jobs pay, which industries need workers in certain occupations and how much experience or education the applicant should have.
Help from Your State Department of Labor
Both state and federal governments have laws regulating the employment of young people. The Federal Fair Labor Standards Act states that persons 16 years old and over may be employed in all occupations except those that are declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor. There are seventeen such occupations currently declared off-limits for workers under 18 years of age.
Among jobs considered hazardous are those of motor-vehicle driver and helper; operator of any power-driven hoisting machinery, including elevators; and operators of certain power-driven machines. This law sets the conditions for youths aged 14 and 15 to work outside school hours in a limited number of occupations, such as office and sales work, and certain food-service and gasoline and service jobs.
Each state has its own laws setting minimum wages, hours and conditions of work, the required school attendance, and the issuance of work permits for young people. To find out about these laws and how they might affect you, get in touch with the nearest local office of your state employment service, or write to your state department of labor, which is usually located in your state capital.
Help from Counselors, Teachers or Principals
The high school you attend is an excellent starting point in planning your future occupation. Your school counselor has vocational and personality tests to define your interests and abilities. He can help you select courses and vocational training that fit your plans and give you a real head start in looking for a job. In addition, he knows of special surveys about labor conditions that may have been issued by school or community groups in your area.
Other sources of information in your school include teachers of such special subjects as industrial arts, shorthand and art, who can give you information about jobs related to these subjects. Your school librarian, as well as your counselor, principal and teachers, may have information about jobs that you will want to investigate and consider.
