After three years of working at the same summer job, UW-Madison junior Karissa Morin's employer informed her the company was cutting all summer positions because of the economic recession.
Facing decreased sales, the manufacturing company near her hometown of Peshtigo, Wis., is now managing with its full-time employees instead of hiring college students during the summer to fill workers' vacation time.
""They're not hiring any [part-time workers] this summer, and now I'm jobless,"" Morin said.
She's not alone. With unemployment rates rising across the nation, many students are struggling to find summer jobs and internships.
As of March, the national unemployment rate was 9.0 percent and Wisconsin's rate was 9.4 percent, according to the state Department of Workforce Development. Although April figures have not yet been released, they are expected to be even higher.
Mary Braucht, internship coordinator for UW-Madison's Center for Retailing Excellence, said part-time and seasonal employment are typically hit hardest during recessions.
Cynthia Jasper, UW-Madison professor of consumer science, said college students are particularly hurt because people who have lost full-time work take the limited seasonal employment that is available.
""It's much more challenging and difficult than it's been other years [for students],"" Jasper said.
Jasper said companies are also offering fewer internships.
Angie Nelson, a UW-Madison sophomore majoring in landscape architecture, said she sent her résumé to nine companies, including the one she interned for last summer. All of them turned her down.
""The majority of the firms that I heard back from said they just weren't hiring interns this summer because of the economy; they just don't have the funding for it,"" Nelson said.
Jasper said college students' lack of employment will negatively impact the economy as a whole.
""It's kind of a spiral in that [students] have less income for consumer products as well as for paying for their tuition and helping their family budget,"" Jasper said.
However, Braucht said recent graduates looking to enter the workforce might not have as much trouble, as companies lay off experienced personnel to hire cheap younger workers.
Morin, who is an accounting major in the business school, said the poor economy is concerning but not devastating in terms of her plans for the future.
""I know that this is going to end sometime and there are going to be jobs out there, especially in the field that I'm in,"" Morin said.
Currently, Braucht said the best way for unemployed students to spend their summer is to focus on those long-term career objectives.
""They want to make sure that the time they spend this summer adds value to reaching their goals,"" Braucht said.
She said students can build their résumés by volunteering and taking classes that teach them valuable skills, as well as by trying to job shadow and make contacts with people in their field of interest.
""One of the most important things you can do is to develop your networking skills ... [to] open up doors for you in the future,"" Braucht said.
Although she has no internship lined up, Nelson said she will likely be returning to a previous job in her hometown of Delano, Minn.
Morin said she might try to find a different job once she gets home for the summer but is not counting on anything. Instead, she plans on studying for the Graduate Management Admission Test, which is required for continuing her accounting program in graduate school.
""I'm making that a high priority for me, just making sure that I get a really good score,"" Morin said.
She also plans on volunteering at an accounting firm to gain professional experience, as well as learning golf, an important sport in the business field.
""Hopefully it turns out to be a good summer,"" she said.
