Teen Job Market Faces Challenges Amid Rising Competition and Economic Pressures
As summer approaches, teenagers are finding it increasingly difficult to land jobs, whether as lifeguards, camp counselors, or in any other roles. The current job landscape presents significant hurdles for young job seekers, with fewer opportunities and increased competition.
Brad Hershbein, an economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, highlights the challenges faced by teens: “They now have more competition. There may be fewer jobs available,” he explains, suggesting that young people often find themselves at a disadvantage in the job market.
Various factors, including technological advances, economic pressures like inflation and tariffs, and geopolitical issues such as disruptions in the Persian Gulf, are contributing to the competitive nature of entry-level positions. The outlook for 2026 is particularly bleak, with predictions indicating it could be the toughest job market for teenagers in decades.
Hershbein also notes that the pressure isn’t solely on teenagers. “So many people are increasingly desperate to find a job, any job, especially if they have college loans,” he says. This desperation among older job seekers adds another layer of difficulty for younger individuals competing for similar positions.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a decline of 219,000 teens in the workforce this May compared to the previous year. Teen labor force participation has been on a downward trend since reaching a high of nearly 58% in the 1970s, and now only about one-third of teens are either working or seeking summer employment.
Mariella Silva, 19, exemplifies the hustle required to secure a job. After persistent efforts, she finally found a position as a barista at Zeke’s Coffee in Washington, D.C. Silva describes how having a job has provided her with a sense of maturity and financial awareness. “Every time I spend something, I’m like, oh, this is like two hours of work,” she reflects, noting the impact of inflation on her spending decisions.
Jesse Lauritsen, Silva’s employer, shares a common challenge faced by many businesses: accommodating teenagers’ schedules. “If they can only work one day a month, there’s no point in really hiring them,” Lauritsen explains, highlighting the difficulty in integrating teens into work schedules due to their school and extracurricular commitments.
Hershbein points out that hiring teenagers can be seen as an investment with delayed returns. “It’s almost a community service, rather than getting that productivity right away,” he comments, underscoring the broader societal implications of teenage employment.
The lack of job opportunities for teens has broader consequences, with many young individuals missing out on their first work experiences. “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 observes, describing this group as potentially “idle.”
This trend is prompting concern among parents and communities. Efforts are being made by cities and school districts to create job opportunities for young people. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Gayle Hurn manages a community pool, hiring over a hundred lifeguards and swim instructors each summer. She emphasizes the importance of integrating teenagers into the workforce, stating, “I think we need to start viewing teens as a really important part of the infrastructure of the workplace.”
Hurn acknowledges the challenges of managing young workers but believes in their potential. “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 and really great contributors to whatever other work environment they join,” she asserts, illustrating her commitment to their development. Despite the challenges, Hurn finds her teenage employees to be invaluable assets.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
