GoKawiilListen to this post
The classic American summer job is disappearing. Employers will add just 790,000 jobs for teens ages 16 to 19 this summer. That’s the lowest total since the government began tracking this stuff in 1948, according to a forecast from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
What makes it striking is that it’s happening without a recession. According to The Wall Street Journal, several factors are squeezing teen workers at once: inflation and high oil prices are tightening margins at the restaurants, amusement parks and summer camps that traditionally hire them. Older workers are staying employed longer and competing for the same seasonal roles. And many entry-level tasks that once made up a first job, such as order-taking, basic customer service, and scheduling, are increasingly handled by AI.
One Cape Cod ice cream shop reportedly received hundreds of applications for 50 openings. For the teens who do want to work, the competition has never been tougher.