As the school year dwindles away and the highway becomes increasingly packed with out of state license plates, many students are beginning the annual job of job-searching.

But between a hurting economy and a high local unemployment rate, a competitive and large workforce may make it harder for local teens to get hired than in years past. According to a report from the Northeastern University Center for Labor Market Studies, last summer was deemed the worst teen employment market in six decades. The study expects this year’s hiring environment to be even harsher.

“I think it (will be) harder because the economy is getting really bad so a lot of people aren’t hiring as many people and some people are also cutting back hours,” sophomore Lindsay Fenyak said.

Many have noticed the growing need for jobs on the Outer Banks. In January, February and March, Dare County led the state with the highest unemployment rate according to The Virginian-Pilot. Local business owner Wanda Harrison said that while many residents have lost jobs, the tourist season should lower the unemployment rate.

She said, “A lot of people have been hit by lost jobs or their jobs have been restricted as far as hours. We hope that in the summer that will change.”

Some also said that a local dependency on foreign employment adds to the difficulty for locals to find jobs on the Outer Banks, even in the summer. 

“I think it is difficult for teens to get jobs on the Outer Banks because foreigners take their jobs,” junior Alexis Czernik said. “Also, because some teens are very particular about their jobs so they won’t take jobs that foreigners will.”

Some businesses on the Outer Banks have never relied on foreign workers, and plan to continue to hire locally. Jill Bennett, the co-owner of Birthday Suits, said that she has never needed to look outside the United States to find employees for her stores in Kill Devil Hills, Duck, Corolla and Hatteras.

“We have never needed to recruit foreign workers,” she said. “In 26 years, we have maybe had five or six foreign workers. We’ve just been very fortunate in that we’ve got very good U.S. applicants.”

Harrison, co-owner of Rita’s Ice-Custard-Happiness in Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills, said that it had been her intention since Rita’s opening last March to not only hire local workers, but specifically local high school students.

“We like the idea of having kids who live locally,” Harrison said. “That was our goal, to stay with local students. They have a lot of enthusiasm and energy. They know the area, and they know what customers like.”

Other local businesses that formerly hired outside the United States are now making efforts to hire local employees over their foreign counterparts.

“That was our original intention (to give jobs to locals,)” said Lucinda Hudgins, owner of Bagels to Beef Café in Kitty Hawk. “We just saw the turn (in the economy) last fall and guessed there would be unemployment and that we could hire Americans first.”

However, higher unemployment rates both locally and nationally suggest that teens are now facing a different challenging workforce demographic, according to an article on USAToday.com. While foreign competition may seem lower, local students are now competing for jobs with older residents who have either been laid-off or restricted in pay or hours.

“I’ve noticed in my job that a lot of people who are waitressing are being hired older, instead of in their teens and mid-twenties,” senior Ashley Reid said. “I need money too, but everyone needs money right now, and they’re older and actually have people to support.”

Further, the article said teens are particularly disadvantaged when contending with older applicants, who often come across as more mature, reliable, and ready to work.

            “Now what I am finding is that it’s no longer just the kids that are available, but the adults,” Hudgins said. “So we are getting an average of five applications a week from older people that are available all year long, and they are far more qualified.”

            Regardless of the economy, unemployment rates or their own hiring practices, Hudgins, Harrison and Bennett all agreed that there are plenty of jobs on the Outer Banks for teens that are persistent and open to trying new things.

            “The Outer Banks has always had summer jobs available,” Hudgins said. “You might have to work somewhere that isn’t your dream, but there are jobs.”

            Bennett also said that certain qualities make local teens great local workers, particularly on the Outer Banks.

            “(Local teens) live in an area that is known for its hospitality,” She said. “The kids that we hire, they’re aware of the importance of hospitality on the Outer Banks, because they’ve grown up with it.”