Amid economic uncertainty, Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. predicts that employers will pull back on hiring teens for the summer.
The agency forecasts there will be 1 million jobs added for teens ages 16 to 19 this summer, a decrease from last year. The firm had projected 1.3 million jobs for summer 2024 but estimates that only 1.1 million teens were actually hired for summer work.
“Over the last few summers, there were ample opportunities for teens, but they seemed to shun them,” said Andrew Challenger, labor and workplace expert and senior vice president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. “This summer, we may not see the opportunities manifest. With the current socio-political climate, we may see fewer tourists; with the expected impact of tariffs, we may see higher prices and lower consumer demand. Those who traditionally hire in the summer may hold off this year."
Since 1998, there has been an average of 1.45 million jobs added for teens each summer.
In the late 1990s, the teenage workforce peaked at over 8 million in the summer, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, with about 6.5 million teens working year-round. However, the number of teens in the workforce steadily declined during the 2000s, with the recession of 2008-09 prompting a significant reduction.
In 2011, there were barely 5 million teens in the summer workforce, with fewer than 4 million working the following winter.
Last summer, 6.6 million teens held jobs, marking the highest total since 2008.
Among teens employed in 2024, 41% worked in the service industry.
