The war with Iran. Tariff battles. Rising inflation. Soaring oil prices. A tepid job market. And, of course, artificial intelligence.
Add it all up and what does it portend for teens looking for summer jobs in the weeks ahead? A challenging picture, to put it mildly.
A new report predicts the number of teens working summer jobs primarily in May, June and July will likely hit a nearly 80-year low.
The employment and outplacement consulting firm of Challenger, Gray & Christmas estimates that 790,000 teens will land jobs this summer, down from 801,000 in 2025. (This excludes young entrepreneurs, such as baby sitters, lawn care operators. More on them in my next column.)
Based on the data, the number of teen jobholders ages 16 to 19 will undercut last year’s record low, according to the consulting firm.
“What is striking is that it happened (last year) without a recession,” Andy Challenger, the firm’s workforce expert and chief revenue officer said in a news release. Inflation and rising fuel costs are squeezing the same households and small businesses that hire teens, such as amusement parks, restaurants, retailers and summer camps.”
AI and other automation upgrades continue to stack up against teen workers this summer. ““Many of the routine, entry-level tasks that once formed the bulk of a first job, such as order taking, basic customer service, inventory checks and scheduling are now being automated or assisted by AI,” Challenger said.
With June being the heaviest month for filling summer job openings, it’s not too late to get applications in front of employers. But procrastination also means fiercer competition and slots already being filled.
Some tips from Challenger, Gray:
– Tap your network. Most teens have a bigger contact list than they realize. Besides parents’ employers, ,reach out to family friends, youth team coaches, current and former teachers, and managers of places you already go to.
– Keep your online presence clean. Assume any employer will look.
– Dress neatly for a job interview, arrive early, and be polite to everyone you meet.
– Even a short resume listing extracurriculars, volunteer work, leadership roles, and any project work with a team shows initiative and reliability.
– Practice common interview questions. Be prepared to talk about your strengths, what you’re interested in and why you want the job.
– Follow up. If you haven’t heard back in a week or after applying, a short, polite email, an in-person visit “shows real interest,” Andy Challenger said. Besides, you have nothing to lose.