Job-seeking teens might get a break this summer

Teenagers looking to make some money this summer could have an easier time finding a job than in recent years, if the economic momentum of the last few months holds up.

That would be a welcome turn of events for the youngest generation of workers, who have had an incredibly tough time finding work after so many years of a weak economy.

“Young people have been hit the hardest by all this,” said Harry Holzer, a professor of public policy at Georgetown University who studies low-wage work.

Holzer said the good news for young people is overall job growth has been relatively strong for the past few months. Plus, other sectors of the economy, such as the housing market, also appear to be improving.

But by this summer, teens also could find their job prospects hurt by other factors weighing on the economy, such as the government belt-tightening due to the sequester. “It’s a mixed picture,” Holzer said.

Managers who plan to hire hourly summer workers expect to add an average of 30 workers this year, up from 27 last year, according to a survey conducted on behalf of the job placement company Snagajob. The Ipsos survey of 1,005 seasonal hiring managers found that 68 percent plan to hire summer workers this year.

They should find plenty of willing applicants.

The unemployment rate for 16- to 19-year-olds was 25.1 percent in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That compares with 14.9 percent six years ago, in February 2007. The nation officially went into recession in December 2007, and the weak recovery began in June 2009.

The unemployment rate, which includes only people who are actively looking for a job, is seasonally adjusted to account for variations such as more teens employed in the summer.

The overall unemployment rate for all working Americans fell to 7.7 percent in February, the lowest level in four years, as the economy added 236,000 new jobs. The March unemployment report is due out Friday, and economists will be watching closely to see if the momentum in the job market continues.

Teens have always had more trouble finding a job than adults. Still, the recession and weak recovery appear to have made it especially hard for young people trying to dip their toe in the working world.

“These are people in a tough job market who have the least skills (and) the shortest work history,” said Paul Ashworth, chief North American economist for Capital Economics.

Ashworth said the good news for young workers is that some of the recent job growth has been in sectors such as leisure and hospitality that tend to employ younger, less skilled workers.

Younger workers also tend to be cheaper and less in need of health benefits, and that could be appealing to cost-conscious employers.

Ashworth also noted that American teens are much better off than young people in countries such as Spain or Italy, which have grappled with drastically higher jobless numbers for younger workers.

But he conceded that American teens haven’t had it too easy, either.

“Young people probably have suffered unduly, but being brutally honest that’s often the way it goes in recessions,” Ashworth said.

sourch by nbc

Hyundai and KIA

Hyundai and Kia recalling 1.9 million vahicles

Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia are initiating one of their largest recalls ever – or more precisely, three separate service actions announced today that involve 1.9 million vehicles sold in the U.S. market since late 2006.

The majority of the vehicles involved were subject to earlier recalls designed to address the same issue – electronic gremlins that could impact a wide variety of systems, from stop lamps to stability control, and even prevent the use of the push-button stop feature.

Meanwhile, the small Japanese automaker Subaru is recalling 200,000 vehicles of its own due to brake line corrosion issues.

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The larger recalls involving Hyundai and Kia present some serious headaches for the Korean makers after repeated efforts to deal with the electronic control issues. The two makers operate in the U.S. as separate companies but share much of the same technology under the skin of their vehicles.

The largest announcement, involving 1.06 million Hyundai models, follows an earlier 2009 recall and three separate service actions addressing problems with taillight assemblies. Covered are the 2007 to 20009 Accent, 2007 to 2010 Elantra, 2010 to 2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007 to 2011 Santa Fe, 2011 Sonata, 2007 to 2009 Tucson and 2008 to 2009 Veracruz.

According to Hyundai, the “condition could potentially result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, intermittent ability to remove the vehicle's shifter from the park position, illumination of the "ESC" (Electronic Stability Control) indicator lamp in the instrument cluster, intermittent interference with operation of the cruise control feature, or intermittent operation of the stop lamps."

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A total of 623,000 Kia models are impacted by the same problem, and include the 2007 to 2010 Rondo, the 2007 Sedona, 2011 Optima, 2007 to 2011 Sorento, 2010 and 2011 Soul, and the 2007 to 2010 Sportage.

A third recall by Hyundai specifically targets potential airbag problems involving 190,000 compact Elantra sedans sold during the 2011 to 2013 model-years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration pressed the maker to act after receiving complaints that a support bracket can become displaced in the event of a crash that triggers the side-impact airbags.

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NHTSA was first alerted to the problem when a passenger had serious lacerations to their ear during a crash. Hyundai has since found several vehicles that could experience the same sort of problem, apparently due to the installation of a special auto-dimming mirror offered as an option in the U.S. market.

Hyundai said the problem can be easily fixed. “Industrial manufacturing adhesive strips placed over the bracket prevent displacement of a dislodged bracket during side curtain airbag deployment."
Repairs for all the new Hyundai and Kia recalls will be made at no charge to owners.

The three new recalls come just days after NHTSA announced it would begin a formal investigation of reports of excessive corrosion potentially impacting nearly 400,000 older Hyundai Sonata models. The rust issue could lead to failure of the rear suspension, the agency noted.


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Corrosion is also being blamed for the recall of about 200,000 Subaru Legacy and Outback models produced between December 2003 and April 2009 and sold in 20 cold-weather states, as well as the District of Columbia.

Designated 2005 through 2009 model-years, the Legacy and Outback all-wheel-drive vehicles could experience break line cracks that could result in fluid leaks. That, in turn, might reduce brake functionality and lead to a crash.

Subaru also plans to notify owners and make repairs at no charge.


Copyright © 2009-2013, The Detroit Bureau

54 killed, 90 wounded in attack on Afghanistan compound

Still image from April 3, 2013 video footage shows damage at the site of an attack by Taliban suicide bombers at a courtroom in Farah province in western Afghanistan.

At least 54 people were killed and 90 others wounded Wednesday in an insurgent attack on a government compound in western Afghanistan, where Taliban fighters were facing trial, local officials said.

Nine insurgents with explosives strapped to their bodies stormed the compound in Farah province, bordering Iran, Reuters reported. Explosions were followed by protracted gun battles.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Among the dead were 35 civilians, 10 members of the Afghan Security Forces and the nine suicide attackers, Mohammad  Akram  Khpalwalk, governor of Farah province, said.

Most of the 90 to 95 people wounded were civilians, said Dr. Abdul Jabaar, the head of the hospital where victims were taken.

The attack was the deadliest single assault n the country since 2011.

President Hamid Karzai called the attack "genocide" against fellow Afghans and said a delegation would be sent Thursday to begin an investigation and to assist victims and their families.

"Once again, terrorists shed the blood of our innocent people who went as individuals to local institutions for their work in Farah province," Karzai said in a statement.He pledged that the perpetrators would be accountable to the nation for the killings.

sourch by nbc.