In today’s job market, you almost never hear anything positive. It’s rarely “I just got my first full-time job!” or ‘My new degree helped me secure a full-time job.’ Due to a rocky American economy, it’s much more common for freshly graduated college students to sink back into the part-time jobs they held during their university or even high school years. And because these graduates not only have experience but also degrees on their resumes, they are way more likely to secure these positions than teenagers who don’t have the advantage of experience or ‘knowing someone’ who works in the part-time food or retail industry.
And this isn’t to blame these graduates. It’s extremely frustrating that after spending massive amounts of time and money working towards a degree, they struggle to secure jobs that will compensate them for their personal and financial investment. In order to keep the lights on and put food on the table, these new members of society must find work somehow, and these part-time roles are there for them when the full-time roles are not.
And this isn’t a new phenomenon. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 3.4 million youth were struggling to find summer jobs in 2008. And this was largely due to the awful economy of that time and the Great Recession.
It’s also not just college graduates who are filling up these positions. It’s also senior citizens who are forced to come out of retirement due to financial difficulties that a downturned economy brings. According to a survey done by Resume Builder, one in eight retirees is reentering the job market. This is largely due to the high costs of living that eat up retirement savings.
And many of these retirees often opt for part-time jobs, as they are easier to obtain for people with work experience, and require less of a time commitment. Because these retirees have nearly a lifetime of work experience and are considered more reliable than teenagers, they also gain the upper hand in the hiring pool, lowering the average high schooler’s chance of securing a job even more.
One can also not deny that the incorporation of AI technology into the workplace is eliminating part-time jobs that could’ve potentially gone to teenagers. Fast food restaurants such as Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and White Castle are experimenting with AI-powered machines that work drive-throughs. Typically, they take orders and send them to the kitchen for preparation. One may argue that this technology creates new jobs to perform maintenance on these machines. However, these jobs are certainly not available to high school students. There’s also the argument that this just creates more demand for jobs in the kitchen. However, once again, these line cook positions are likely not going to go to teen workers, as they may require the usage of certain appliances that people under 18 are not approved to operate in certain states.
This is an issue for many reasons. Teenagers have a more difficult time earning money that they may put towards major life milestones, like buying their first car or attending college. Instead, today’s high schoolers may not be as eager to get their license because they know they won’t have a car to drive, or will be discouraged from college because of the massive debt that won’t be even slightly relieved by a minimum wage salary. They may also face judgment from their parents or peers who either secured their first jobs during a time when getting hired for these roles wasn’t as difficult or had a connection to someone who works in a part-time establishment.
As a chaotic economy continues to wreak havoc on Americans and force them into part-time roles, more and more teenagers will be denied the opportunity to work their first job. For a high schooler, it’s very important to fit into a mold they think they are required to fill, or they need the money that these opportunities provide, for college or other important expenses. If the economy continues to decline, one can only expect that the teen job market will suffer, and with it, the American teen experience.