Some of the industries enjoyed by residents across Dubuque during the summer months depend on local teens for their liveliness and scale.
Data shows that Dubuque-area teens are more likely to hold down a job than their peers nationwide. According to 2023 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the labor force participation rate of teens age 16 to 19 in the Dubuque metropolitan area was 56.3%, much higher than the national rate of 39%. Still, labor force participation among local teens is down from its height in 2019, according to Nic Hockenberry, director of workforce programming at Greater Dubuque Development Corp.
Hockenberry said local programs have helped raise the profile of job opportunities for teens. He noted offerings such as Multicultural Family Center’s Summer Teen Empowerment Program (which is on pause this summer) and Northeast Iowa Community College’s work to connect with youth to increase employment.
Multiple area employers said they have not run into challenges hiring for the summer, noting that rising wages in recent years and changes to state laws have helped draw teens into the workforce.
“We have probably five or six employees who are (teenagers),” said Deb McDonnell, co-director of Young-Uns Preschool and Childcare Center in Dubuque. “… They’ve been really dedicated. They took a huge interest, and they’ve been great employees, so helpful to the industry.”
Young-Uns has been particularly successful in employing teens to assist in child care for school-aged children, with McDonnell pointing to updates to state law in recent years that opened the door for younger workers.
“We didn’t used to be able to hire people under the age of 18,” McDonnell said. “Now we can employ 16- to 18-year-olds. They just can’t be left alone with children that are not of school age. Since we have been able to do this, it’s been really lovely.”
McDonnell said teens make up about 10% of the center’s workforce. A local child care wage-enhancement grant also helped Young-Uns set pay significantly over Iowa’s minimum wage.
“We also go on a lot of field trips in the summer,” McDonnell said. “When we go out in public, we like our groups to be fairly small, and that means a need for extra teachers who go with them. So the influx of teenagers kind of works out great for our environment.”
Area businesses with particularly busy summer seasons also bolster their workforce with teenagers off from school.
East Dubuque, Ill.-based Fincel’s Sweet Corn relies on teens for much of its harvesting and sale efforts, which are expected to kick into full gear in July.
“We start hiring when students are able to work at age 14,” co-owner Sarah Fincel said. “We have a lot of kids that return every year, through their high school years and through college. They’re a big part of our workforce — we usually have 20 to 25 workers at our stands here in Dubuque. … We also have probably another 20 that work on the farm in East Dubuque, picking produce and picking corn.”
Fincel said the job helps workers develop useful, practical skills that will likely stick with them for life, even if they don’t go into farming.
“The workers learn from a young age where produce comes from — not just a can like maybe kids who only go to the grocery store think of it,” she said. “We show them how to pick it fresh from the field and look for signs to make sure everything is the most fresh that it can be, and we discard things that are turning. … They have to learn how to sell the product to our customers, so learning about that quality of produce is important.”
Fincel said the business sees a high number of employees return year after year. She also noted that wages far exceed the Iowa minimum wage at $15 an hour for stand workers and sometimes up to $22 an hour for Illinois-side field workers “because there are harder, more physical work conditions.”
“Our customers who have kids that come with them — their kids want to work for us because they see the outside, open air environment,” Fincel said. “I think the kids like it.”
Teen and college-age workers are a significant part of city of Dubuque Recreation Division’s temporary workforce and are critical to summer programs and services, Division Manager Dan Kroger said in an email.
He noted that he has not had issues finding summer workers, pointing to efforts to strengthen retention rates — now 60% for his division — and provide competitive wages.
Ellaynna Palmer, a high schooler working at the Port of Dubuque Marina this summer, said she appreciates the financial freedom that comes from having a job. It also makes her feel more secure about her decision to go to college, where she plans to study nursing.
“I think it’s important to keep a job for the whole year, especially if you have a car,” she said. “… That’s why I choose a job over extracurriculars at school. … I’m saving probably 50% of everything I earn.”