Teen Job Market Faces Challenges Amid Economic Shifts
This summer, teenagers seeking employment as lifeguards, camp counselors, or in any entry-level position are finding the job market tougher than expected. The current economic climate is making it increasingly difficult for young job seekers to find work.
“They now have more competition. There may be fewer jobs available,” says Brad Hershbein, an economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. “They kind of get stuck with the short straw.”
Several factors are intensifying competition for jobs traditionally held by teens, such as the impact of AI, inflation, tariffs, and geopolitical issues like oil tankers stuck in the Persian Gulf. Projections suggest that by 2026, the job market for teenagers could be at its worst in decades.
“So many people are increasingly desperate to find a job, any job, especially if they have college loans,” Hershbein adds. “That makes it that much harder for someone younger to be able to compete.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a decline of 219,000 teens in the workforce this May compared to last year. Teen labor force participation has been decreasing from a peak of nearly 58% in the 1970s to about a third today.
Mariella Silva, 19, eventually secured a summer job as a barista at Zeke’s Coffee in Washington, D.C., after much effort. She mentions that working has helped her feel more mature and taught her the importance of money management, stating, “Every time I spend something, I’m like, oh, this is like two hours of work.”
Her employer, Jesse Lauritsen, finds hiring teens challenging due to their limited availability. “If they can only work one day a month, there’s no point in really hiring them,” Lauritsen explains.
Hershbein points out that hiring teens can be seen as an investment with delayed returns. “It’s almost a community service, rather than getting that productivity right away,” he says.
The reduction in job opportunities means many teens miss out on early workforce experience. “A growing share of 18- to 19-year-olds are neither employed nor in school. They’re not really engaged in child care either,” Hershbein notes. Economists refer to this group as “idle,” often described as spending significant time on leisure activities like video gaming.
Communities are responding to this issue. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Gayle Hurn hires over 100 teenagers as lifeguards and swim instructors each summer. “I think we need to start viewing teens as a really important part of the infrastructure of the workplace,” she says.
Hurn acknowledges the challenges of managing teenagers but emphasizes the positive impact they have on the community. “It’s my job to help them not just get a paycheck, but really build them so that when they move on from me, they can be super successful,” she states.
Despite the hurdles, Hurn finds her young employees invaluable, noting, “Happily, her teen employees are totally worth it.”
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
Comments are closed.