Teen Jobs Sink to All-Time Low. NewsWire

Newswire: 6/2/2020

• As summer job opportunities disappear, teen unemployment is soaring to levels not seen since 1948. In April, the unemployment rate for 16- to 19-year-olds climbed to 32%, which is expected to only continue rising after the school year ends. (The Wall Street Journal)
• NH: In the pre-pandemic labor market, the hourly and seasonal jobs often filled by teens were easy to come by. But now, most of those positions--working retail, waiting tables, flipping burgers, lifeguarding--have vanished. The unemployment rate among 16- to 19-year-olds jumped from 11% in February to 32% in April. Meanwhile, most of the other activities young people had planned--internships, volunteering, enrichment programs--have also been cancelled.
• With their plans axed, millions of young people are sitting at home wondering how they will fill all those empty hours. As Carmen Lopez Villamil, a high school student in New York City, recently told The Atlantic: “I don’t know anyone who has an internship or job for the summer. That’s scary financially. And emotionally—we’re going to get so bored.” The author of the piece, Annie Lowrey, warns that this summer “will scar young Americans for life.”
• Losing a summer job is certainly disappointing. But we should put these numbers in perspective. The share of teens in the labor force peaked with first-wave Xers in 1979 (at 57.8%) and has been sinking steadily ever since. By 2018, it was down to 35%. Instead of working, many more young people are enrolled in school or opting for one of those non-job activities. Yes, the teen unemployment rate is high, but a much smaller share of teens are nowadays looking for work--well before the pandemic hit. See "For Teens, More Summer School, Fewer Summer Jobs."
• What's more, these are teens. The idea that the summer is a critical time for boosting credentials and résumés is a relatively new one. Not too long ago, teens rode their bikes and played hours of Donkey Kong all summer without a care in the world and they turned out fine. Americans of all ages are out of work or stuck inside right now, and young people have more time than anyone else to find their footing. The prospect of an unscheduled summer might be scary to them, but let’s not forget it used to be perfectly normal.