By Recker McDowell —
Scottsdale ranks second in the U.S. for summer jobs, according to a new study.
The Wallet Hub study ranked cities on summer job opportunities, pay for those jobs, affordability and things to do for younger workers.
Scottsdale ranked first on the same list in 2018. Orlando was first this year.
Scottsdale’s ranking shows its diversity of job opportunities. Scottsdale is not just home to retail, restaurant and bar jobs.
The Old Town area has technology companies with younger workforces such as Indeed.com and Yelp. The ASU Sky Song center in southern Scottsdale is home to Oracle and a new Cloud venture between Arizona State University and Amazon.com.
Those types of employers seek out and are attractive to younger workers.
Scottsdale might be expensive compared to other parts of metro Phoenix. But its apartment rents still compare favorably to California, the Pacific Northwest and East Coast. Affordability is still an important factor for workers (including younger ones) and many employers.
The Wallet Hub ranks Scottsdale with the highest median income for summer workers along with Overland Park, Kansas. That shows something about the jobs here. The next Valley city to make the list was Chandler at number 53.
Other top cities on the summer jobs list include Denver, Dover and Wilmington, Delaware, Portland, Maine, Las Vegas and Austin.
Denver, Austin, Vegas and Orlando are some pretty good job markets.
Scottsdale’s strong ranking should also be a fresh reminder to employers, policy makers and other businesses of how important younger workers are for the city’s economy and economic development. They should be a priority.