Teenagers have long marked the start of summer with first jobs at local restaurants, pools, camps or retail stores. But federal labor data and many teens’ real-life experiences suggest those opportunities are becoming increasingly difficult to find, reshaping what summer work and early-career experience look like for a generation coming of age in a very different economy.
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey, the number of employed 16- to 19-year-olds rose by 801,000 between April and July 2025, not seasonally adjusted. That marks the smallest April-to-July increase in teen employment since the data series began in 1948.
The slowdown appears to be continuing into this year. In April 2026, 5.19 million teens ages 16 to 19 were employed nationwide, down from 5.48 million during the same month last year, according to BLS data.
At the same time, teen workforce participation remains far below historical highs. The labor force participation rate for 16- to 19-year-olds, which measures the percentage of teens either working or actively looking for work, was 33.8% in April 2026, according to BLS data. The employment-population ratio, which reflects the share of teens currently employed, stood at 29.5%.
“I probably applied to around 20 places before I heard back from anyone,” Julian Rivera, 17, from northern New Jersey, says. “I applied to grocery stores, restaurants, retail stores, pretty much anywhere hiring teens. A lot of places either weren’t hiring anymore, or they wanted someone with experience already.”
Rivera eventually landed a part-time restaurant job, but he said the process felt more competitive and discouraging than he anticipated.
“You hear adults say, ‘Just go get a summer job,’ like it’s simple,” he said. “But it’s not like that anymore.”