Making sure our lawns are well maintained, community pools are well staffed, and having plenty of work opportunities that involve being in the great outdoors appear to be some of the hottest jobs this summer throughout some Lenawee County municipalities.

There are even several hundred job openings still available at some non-typical summer jobs that still need to be filled, Lenawee Now Director of Operations Tim Robinson said.

“Off the top of my head, there are at least 500 jobs in the county that remain unfilled,” he said Friday. “And these jobs are not your typical summer, seasonal jobs, either. These are jobs in the education and medical fields to name a few.”

When looking at Lenawee County’s summer employment market, however, Robinson said the number of available jobs and the number of jobs being filled by people of all ages are promising signs.

Downtown Adrian restaurants and bars including Chaloner & Co. and Sauce Italian Grill & Pub have both been filled with workers and waitstaff to meet the summer demands of extended hours and an increased number of customers, Robinson said.

“Your typical summer jobs seem to be in the uptick,” he said. “And thank goodness for that. I think that means COVID seems to be lessening up a bit.”

In Blissfield, there might be no bigger draw of summer employment than working at the Blissfield Aquatic Center. The pool features a six-lane by 25-yard lap pool as well as a separate splash pad/activity area, a wading area, a single-helix slide, a diving board, and a zero-entry area for handicap accessibility.

Blissfield Parks and Recreation Coordinator Eric May said lifeguards continue to be the village’s most sought after form of summer employment.

“Lifeguards are definitely the biggest summer draw,” he said. “Anything involved with the pool is at peak interest when it comes to summer employment.”

The aquatic center currently has 17 lifeguards on staff. Most are teenagers. Lifeguards must be 15 or older, have a lifeguard certification or the ability to maintain one, be CPR and first aid certified, have the ability to interact with staff and patrons, and be able to swim multiple successive laps in the pool.

Compensation starts at $11 per hour.

In order to fill about 400 “critical” vacancies this summer at state parks and harbors, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources upped its hourly wage to $15 per hour in an effort to encourage prospective workers to apply for employment.

The pay rate increase for seasonal park workers went into effect May 29. Depending on the region of the state and an applicant’s work experience, previous hourly pay was anywhere from $10.20 to $12 an hour. DNR Parks and Recreation Chief Ron Olson said in a news release the department was able to make the hourly increase possible by reprioritizing some state park funding.

“We decided we needed to raise our hourly rate in order to stay competitive with other job opportunities for teens, young adults and retirees,” Olson said in the release. “Our seasonal summer workers are key to helping us provide great recreation experiences for every visitor. We think this rate increase will help, but we also want to remind people that we offer a positive work atmosphere and opportunities to explore a career in parks and recreation and natural resources management.”

Seasonal park workers assist in answering visitor questions, registering campers, cleaning park buildings, mowing grass and maintaining trails.

The seasonal positions are flexible in their hours and scheduling and are offered through Oct. 15. To apply or check into the DNR offering, visit www.Michigan.gov/DNRJobs or text “Hire” to 80888.

The city of Adrian also upped its hourly wage for seasonal workers from $12 per hour in 2021 to $14 per hour this year. Because of the increase in pay, the city has seen a higher interest in its seasonal offerings, city administrator Greg Elliott said in an email.

“We’ve hired 25 seasonal employees this year, the majority (20) of them in the parks and recreation department, which includes (maintenance work) at the cemetery,” Elliott said. “That is much better than we were able to do last summer when we had to supplement with contract labor. We did a couple things to improve the situation this year.”

Seasonal laborers in Adrian are typically hired through October, Elliott said. However, student seasonal workers will cut their employment with the city short when they head back to school in the fall.

Seasonal work during the summer months in Adrian consists of landscaping, emptying trash receptacles, watering flowers and plants, and additional general outdoor maintenance.

The Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives said the summer 2022 job market for Michigan teens, ages 16-19, is looking favorable as they search for employment this summer. The favorability of the market is due to a high demand for workers across the state.

“The state’s unemployment rate continues to fall and is comparable to historic lows, while the number of job openings have soared in the early months of this year,” Wayne Rourke, associate director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives, said in a news release. “If the current demand for workers remains strong, many teens will find a job this summer and Michigan can expect high participation and low unemployment for teenagers compared to previous summers.”

An anticipated 214,000 teenagers will hold jobs this summer, Rourke said.

Those looking for summer employment are encouraged to contact their local Michigan Works office. Michigan Works provides assistance in resume development, job searching and tips when applying for jobs. The Michigan Works Southeast office is in the Lenawee County Human Services Building, 1040 S. Winter St., Adrian. It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and can be contacted at 517-266-5627 or at www.mwse.org.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Lenawee County's seasonal, summer job market trending positively