The CBC has been pressing for more jobs programs for minorities and has requested $1.3 billion. The House bill paid for the jobs program by shifting stimulus money from other programs. 

A recent survey by SnagAJob.com, a Web site that lists hourly jobs, showed that 54 percent of 1,033 hiring managers asked think it will be difficult for teens to find a summer job. In that survey, 29 percent of hiring managers plan to hire the same number of workers for the season, while 18 percent of employers said they will hire fewer workers, an improvement of f5 percentage points from 2009. 

In January, a job fair at Six Flags over Georgia attracted several thousand applicants for 1,300 total seasonal jobs, a clear indication the tight job market, according to ajc.com. 

“It’s a
relief that we’re not again seeing the kind of negative trends that we
saw when comparing expectations for last summer with ‘08,” said Shawn Boyer, CEO of SnagAJob.com. “Summer jobs
will be available this year, but teens and college students must apply
as soon as possible to multiple positions in order to stand a chance of
landing one. Competition will still be fierce, especially because
unemployment remains high.” 

Employers expecting to make seasonal hires said 53 percent of a
young person’s biggest competition comes from another teen or college
student like themselves, very similar to last year’s 54 percent, according to the survey. Young people also can expect to face competition from adults who
have entered the workforce because of economic pressures, which 29
percent of hiring managers still report as a young person’s greatest
competition.