When most students finally turn 16, they are excited to begin working and start making their own money. However, they soon encounter that getting the job is the real challenge. In 2026, the employment rate of teens is 35.8%, compared to the peak of teen employment in the late 1970s, when the employment rate was at 58%. This is due to a multitude of reasons, whether it is because teens may be perceived as lazier in this century compared to the last, or if they are busy with sports and clubs, or the main reason; companies do not trust teens and want them to have already established work experience.
The unemployment rate for teens specifically is 14.4%, which is three times the nation’s average of 4.3%. The reasons for why they get turned down isn’t their fault either; most teens get turned down due to strict legal hour restrictions, limited availability, and a lack of experience. They also face competition with adults and college students who have more experience and are more likely to get the job than they are.
According to Fidelity, “the jobs that teens have the best chance at getting accepted into are lifeguarding, retail stores, and restaurants (whether it is a sit-down restaurant or fast-food).” This is because they are the most teen-friendly jobs since most adults will not apply for low wage jobs such as these; their only competition would be college students.
Junior James Sullivan works in the food industry at The Pizzeria at Haygood and has been employed there for nine months. He explained that he sought out employment at Kroger, but was ultimately turned down. He explained that a family friend recommended he apply at the Pizzeria. Sullivan shared that the connection was helpful in landing the job. This proves the difficulty of teens getting employed without connections, especially with big-name companies such as Kroger.
Sullivan is still very happy at his job and said, “I like my job, it’s fun; I get to eat free pizza so that’s a plus.”
Junior Connor Dress, who has been working at the Bayville Golf Club for one year, was accepted into the first job he applied for. He stated, “All I did was walk into the place, ask for an application, fill it out, and I was hired on the spot.”
He also stated, however, that he grew up knowing the owners, so it was easy for him to be accepted. Like Sullivan, relying on familial connections or on people they’ve known for a long time is beneficial.
In my experience, I applied to about 10-15 jobs before landing a job at Wendy’s. I applied to a majority of big retail stores, but they all turned me down. So, I applied to fast-food restaurants and heard back from McDonald’s, Burger King, and Tropical Smoothie, but I chose Wendy’s because they paid more than the other three. I am happy I did because most of my coworkers are also teens, and I look forward to work every day because it is a fun environment to work in and has been for the last year.
My advice to teens who are looking for jobs is to never give up and never stop applying. If you have connections to a job and you will 100% be accepted in, then go for it, but if you have to apply for a multitude of jobs, then don’t be afraid to do so. I believe a job is important for teens to build experience for their future, and to have a community outside of school. You can learn leadership skills by helping your coworkers, as well as collaborating with different people you would never have met before. I hope employment rates for teens rise over the next couple of years because teens are the future in this world, and need to gain experience to survive in the world.
