For generations of American teenagers, landing a summer job was a guaranteed rite of passage. But this year, eager young workers are finding that the traditional path to their first paycheck has become an uphill battle.
Jaelyn Chester, a 17-year-old high school basketball star and top student from Lake Mary, Florida, is willing to do whatever it takes—waiting tables, stocking shelves, or even scrubbing toilets. Yet, despite blanketing her community with applications and keeping her resume in the car, she remains unemployed.
“I’m not unemployed because I’m incompetent,” Chester says. “I’m unemployed because nobody’s hiring.”
Chester’s frustration is shared by teens across the country. According to federal data, only about a third of 16- to 19-year-olds were employed last summer, a stark drop from the nearly 60% peak seen in the late 1970s. Economists and hiring experts warn that a combination of economic caution, inflation, and shifting labor dynamics is making this year's outlook even bleaker. In fact, the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas predicts that teen summer hiring could hit its lowest point since the government began tracking the data in 1948.
“The opportunities for workers at the start of the career ladder started to dry up,” explains Nicole Bachaud, an economist at ZipRecruiter, noting that teenagers are currently among the most marginalized groups in the labor market.
The root of the problem lies in the disappearance of traditional entry-level roles. Jaune Little from the HR firm Insperity points out that many of these jobs have been eliminated entirely. The ones that remain are often staffed by leaner teams that lack the time or resources to train beginners. Consequently, employers are increasingly opting for more experienced, and sometimes overqualified, candidates.
This shift has shattered the old adage that a firm handshake and a smile are enough to get a job. Max Stephenson, a 19-year-old college student from Little Rock, Arkansas, applied to between 50 and 100 positions after high school and is still looking for steady work. “Old people say, ‘Just walk in there and give them a firm handshake.’ That doesn’t work so well now,” she notes.
The digital job hunt hasn't been much kinder. Teens are taking to platforms like TikTok and Reddit to vent about ghosting managers, phantom job postings, and endless application black holes. Connor Vukelich experienced this firsthand near Vancouver, Washington. Despite seeing "We're Hiring" signs everywhere, he and his friends couldn't land a single offer. He eventually ended up working on his parents' lavender farm.
Now a 20-year-old college student, Vukelich’s frustrating experience inspired him to launch Poppin’ Jobs, a new employment platform tailored for teens and young adults. He attributes the lack of opportunities to artificial intelligence replacing entry-level tasks and higher minimum wages pushing employers to hire older, more experienced workers instead of taking a chance on first-timers.
For some, the grueling process eventually yields results, though it requires immense persistence. Demie Njea, a 16-year-old from Lexington, Kentucky, applied to over 100 jobs—ranging from fast food to janitorial work—over the course of two summers before finally being hired at Sonic.
While Njea is thrilled to finally have a job, her experience has given her a sobering perspective. When a younger friend recently began her own job search, Njea felt the need to manage her expectations. “I had to calmly put her down and say, ‘You’re not going to get it,’” Njea recalls. “It’s just not going to happen.”
For teens like Chester, the hunt continues. Without a summer paycheck, plans for gas, concerts, and college tours are on the line. Until the market shifts, these young job seekers are left waiting for someone to finally give them a chance.