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Living conditions of children 2015–2016:

Every other young person has a summer job

Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2017-06-12 9.30

Half of the young people aged 16-18 years have a summer job. It is not as common to have a summer job among those between 13 and 15 years; only one in ten children in this group have one.

For many people, a summer job is the first contact with the labour market. One third of children and young people between 13 and 18 years had a summer job last summer (32 percent). This information is presented in the Living Conditions Survey of Children – a broad and unique survey in which children have answered questions about their everyday life in an interview.

It is much more common for older children than for younger children to have a summer job. Half (54 percent) of those in the age group 16–18 years have a summer job, compared with 11 percent among younger children aged 13–15 years.

In addition to summer jobs, there are children who choose to work during the rest of the year, in addition to attending school. However, this is not as common, and 19 percent among children aged 13–18 years make this choice. Here too, mainly older children work, 29 percent, compared with 9 percent among children aged 13–15 years.

There is no statistically significant difference between girls and boys in how many have a summer job or work during the rest of the year. For more information, see the figure below.

Children aged 13–18 years who had a summer job and worked in addition to attending school, 2015–2016 and 2016. Percent

Diagram

The indicator for work has been revised from 2016 and can therefore not be reported together with 2015. Source: Living Conditions Survey of Children, Statistics Sweden

Older children work to the largest extent. At the same time, problems of stress and exhaustion are also greatest among older children. Half of the children aged 16–18 years have felt stressed at least once a week in the past six months (51 percent). Primarily girls have felt stressed, 69 percent, which is about twice as many as 34 percent, among the boys. Seven out of ten have stated that they have been tired in school at least once a week in the past six months (67 percent). There is no statistically significant difference between girls and boys in this regard.

New statistics on children/young people

The data in the Living Conditions Survey of Children has been collected via interviews with children aged 12–18 years and included questions about their health, their situation at school, leisure, media habits and what they normally do to help at home. Some of the questions in the interview are only addressed to children aged 13 years and older, such as questions about work.

Definitions and explanations

Indicator for summer jobs, 2015–2016
Includes the answer “yes” to the following question:
Did you have a summer job last summer?

Indicator for work, 2016:
Includes the answers: At least once a week or At least once a month to the A/B question:
A) In the past six months, have you worked to earn money? Do not include if you were paid to help at home or if you had a summer job.
B) If so, did you work to earn money at least once a week, at least once a month or more seldom?

Indicators for tiredness and stress, 2016:
Includes the answers: Every day, A few times a week, or Once a week to the following A/B questions:
A) Have you felt tired in school at some time in the last month?
B) Has this happened every day, a few times a week, once a week or more seldom?
A) Have you felt stressed at some time in the last month?
B) Has this happened every day, a few times a week, once a week or more seldom?

Statistically significant differences:
The differences that have been mentioned in the text above are statistically significant. The graph illustrates the confidence interval as a line with the lowest and highest values in the interval, while the bars show the estimated value in the middle.

Statistical Database

More information is available in the Statistical Database

Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.

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Statistics Sweden, Living Conditions and Democracy Section

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