economy
Where did all the summer jobs go?
Summer jobs were once a rite of passage for American teenagers. At the turn of the 21st century, a majority of American teenagers worked during the summer.
TL;DR
- The majority of American teenagers worked summer jobs at the turn of the 21st century.
- Currently, only about 1 in 3 teenagers are employed during the summer.
- This represents a decline of 3.3 million fewer working teenagers compared to the turn of the century.
- Summer jobs offer teenagers essential skills such as punctuality, respect, task management, and face-to-face interaction.
- These jobs also build independence, confidence, and teach navigation of expectations, conflict, and responsibility outside of home and school.