REVEALED: Exam pressures preventing youngsters from taking on part-time jobs
EXAM pressures are preventing youngsters from taking on traditional Saturday jobs or paper rounds, official figures have shown.
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The number of school children who have a part-time jobs has fallen by a fifth in the past five years.
Figures released by more than 140 local authorities revealed that 29,498 child employment permits were issued in 2012, compared to just 23,071 in 2016.
Employers must apply for these permits in order to hire staff between the ages of 13 and 15.
Dr Angus Holford, of the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex, said pressure to do well at school could be to blame for the drop in numbers.
He said: “Teens are being told evermore that you need to get good GCSEs and A-levels to get a good job in the long term. Passing the exams you need now is looming larger in people’s concerns.”
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Passing the exams you need now is looming larger in people’s concerns
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said it was “vital” young people left themselves with enough time for study and rest.
But he added: “Properly regulated part-time work is a good way of helping young people learn skills that they will need in their working lives.”
Norfolk and Dudley, in the West Midlands, were the top areas for children with part-time jobs, according to the Freedom of Information requests from the BBC.
The figures showed that Norfolk County Council issued 1,376 permits in 2016, equivalent to 5.2 per cent of children aged 13 to 15-years-old, while Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council issued 471, the equivalent to 4.4 per cent.
During term time, children can only work a maximum of 12 hours a week, including a maximum of two hours on a school day or Sundays.
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Jobs that need a permit include retail work, newspaper rounds, waiting on tables, office or clerical work, and leaflet delivery.
The rules are different for baby-sitting or the odd job for families and individuals.
But the drop in children working part-time is not just about academic pressures, it’s also due to changing consumer habits.
One of the biggest drops in employment permits being issued was in Middlesbrough.
In 2011, 101 of the permits were issued but in 2016 the number was just seven.
The council said the massive drop was due to a decline in the number of people in the area who had a newspaper delivered to their door.
