Teen summer jobs hit historic hiring slump

Teenagers across the United States are facing one of the toughest summer job markets in decades as businesses cut hiring amid rising inflation and higher fuel costs. 

Popular seasonal employers, including ice cream shops, camps, hotels, restaurants, and amusement parks, are offering fewer openings this year.

At Cape Cod’s Sundae School Homemade Ice Cream, hundreds of teenagers applied for just 50 summer jobs, with positions filling quickly. Meanwhile, applications for the New York City Summer Youth Employment Program have already surpassed last year’s record of 200,000 applications for 100,000 openings.

Workplace-tracking firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas predicts teens will secure only 790,000 jobs between May and July, potentially the lowest summer total since federal records began in 1948.

Hiring plans in the entertainment and leisure sector have dropped by 70% compared with last year, hurting opportunities at resorts, theme parks, and recreation centers.

One bright spot is lifeguard hiring, which has jumped 78% from last year, according to Indeed. Still, many parents say finding summer work now requires the same effort as a full-time professional job search.