City Expecting Flood Of Young Job Applicants For 'One Summer Chicago'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Approximately 24,000 summer jobs for young people were being made available this summer, and city officials expect many more people to apply than jobs are available.
On average, there were more than 2.5 applicants than available summer jobs in Chicago last summer, and Family & Support Services Commissioner Evelyn Diaz said she expects similar numbers this year.
More than 25,000 people already have applied.
"Last year, we ended up with 60,000 applicants for 22,000 jobs," she said.
Chicago residents between the ages of 14 and 24 can apply online through May 15. Diaz said those who apply for the "One Summer Chicago" program are sorted into categories for potential jobs, depending on their answers to questions on the application.
"We ask kids what they want to get out of their summer job, what kinds of things interest them. We ask them if they're interested in opportunities after the summer. We try to find out as much about them as possible," she said.
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Once the pools of job applicants are set up, workers are selected via lottery, according to Diaz.
Donnie Matthews, 18, was among those who got a job through One Summer Chicago last year.
"I was a supervisor of other youth, and we worked at a church. We did gardening, cleaning, assisting with passing out flyers," he said.
