Newsletter: Teens & Summer Jobs

Summer jobs are on my mind today.

Five years ago Bloomberg published this article about how American teenagers aren’t working anymore. Summer jobs for teens are declining. For reference, the numbers look like this:

In July of 2016 43% of teens were working.

In July of 2006 53% of teens were working.

in July of 1988 & 1989, 70% of teens were working.

The article also goes into some of the theories about why the decline may be happening. Some people suspect they’re being crowded out of the workforce by older Americans who are working past the age of 65. Some people think teens are being pushed to volunteer for the summer to impress college admission counselors. Others think teens aren’t working because the earnings are low and only go a tiny way toward the costs of college.

But apparently, the data says the real cause is that the teens are studying. They’re taking harder classes and more classes, and they need the summer to keep up.

I found this fascinating.

Then last summer, the whole world was shut down and seasonal jobs weren’t really an option for anyone. On that note, in early 2020, our daughter Maude spent weeks looking for a job that would work with her college schedule. And she found one! At a book store! She was so happy about it. She started March 1st and worked for two weeks before the shutdown shut everything down, at which point she was promptly let go. A story that was repeated for millions. So rough. And such a loss for so many.

This summer, it sounds like there could be a big shift… Click here to continue to read this newsletter and to find my weekly link list.


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