SPOTLIGHT: Teen summer jobs may hit a record low this summer
Challenger, Gray & Christmas projects teens will gain 790,000 jobs in May, June, and July 2026, down from 801,000 last summer and potentially the lowest total on record.
Teen unemployment was 14.4% as of April, compared to the national average of 4.3%.
Teen labor force participation sits at 35.8%, roughly consistent with trends since the 2008 financial crisis and down from a brief post-pandemic peak of 38% in 2022-2024.
Employers in entertainment and leisure plan to fill 70% fewer roles than last year, a sector that traditionally accounts for a large share of teen summer work.
In the late 1990s, more than 2 million teens worked summer jobs; in the 1980s, roughly half of teens participated in the labor force in some capacity.
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The squeeze is coming from multiple directions at once. Inflation and rising costs are pressuring the small businesses and seasonal employers that have long been the backbone of teen hiring, while structural changes in the job market and in teen behavior are shrinking both the supply of jobs and the pool of teens seeking them.
Rising inflation and fuel costs are squeezing the restaurants, amusement parks, summer camps, and small businesses that typically hire teens.
Automation has replaced some entry-level roles, including order-taking and customer service functions that once went to younger workers.
Higher minimum wages are leading some employers to favor older, more experienced workers over inexperienced teens.
Teens are also competing with older workers who have remained in the workforce due to affordability pressures or inadequate retirement savings.
Fewer teens are seeking summer work, with college prep, club sports, internships, and online side hustles drawing their attention elsewhere.
One bright spot: advertised lifeguard positions are up 78% from this time last year, and retail's share of teen summer jobs is projected to reach 9%, up from 2.3% in 2025.
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This isn't the teen workforce of the 1980s. Today's 16-to-19-year-olds are balancing AP coursework, caretaking for their families, club sports that run year-round, summer enrichment programs, paid internships, and online side hustles."
The national picture is playing out differently depending on local conditions and industry mix. A few examples from around the country.
New York City's Summer Youth Employment Program has already surpassed last year's record of 200,000 applications for 100,000 openings.
In Missouri, leisure and hospitality shed jobs in April even as the state's overall unemployment held steady at 3.8%.
In Central Georgia, one 17-year-old reported applying to more than 100 positions since January with little response.
In Connecticut, Quassy Amusement Park is still looking to hire more than 100 workers for the summer but notes that higher wages make inexperienced teen hires a harder call.
On Cape Cod, a popular ice cream shop filled 50 summer slots quickly after receiving hundreds of applications starting in January.
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