This summer could be the worst on record for teen hiring. Tell us your experience
By Alicia Wallace, CNN
(CNN) — This summer is expected to be the worst on record for teen hiring, according to the latest forecast from Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
The outplacement and consulting firm projected that an estimated 790,000 jobs would go to teen workers in May, June and July, landing below last summer’s record-low 801,000 teen jobs added, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data not adjusted for seasonality.
If this summer’s hiring expectations were to play out, that tally would set a fresh record low.
Job growth has slowed significantly across the US labor market following the post-pandemic economic rebound.
Part of that slowdown is due to causes more structural in nature, notably aging demographics, an immigration slowdown and technology adoption.
However, other factors have also hampered hiring: the unwinding of post-pandemic labor hoarding practices; high uncertainty (because of inflation, tariffs, policy shifts, geopolitical developments and interest rates); and, most recently, the oil shock and other ripple effects from the Iran war.
What’s resulted is a “low-hire, low-fire” labor market where turnover has stalled, leaving few opportunities for unemployed workers as well as those looking for their first job.
Teen workers are facing a slew of challenges this summer, including inflation, oil prices, artificial intelligence, older workers taking part-time and seasonal roles, and competing extracurricular priorities, said Andy Challenger, chief revenue officer at Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
“This isn’t the teen workforce of the 1980s,” Challenger said in a statement. “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. For many families, the calculation around a traditional summer job has changed.”
Rising fuel costs and inflation are squeezing budgets, both for consumers as well as the businesses who hire teens, he added.
“When margins tighten, summer hirers will wait for demand to dictate hiring,” Challenger said.
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