Today’s teens are being pushed to navigate a job market that is harder to enter than ever before. As of February, the unemployment rate for 16-19 year olds has risen to about 14%.
Due to inflation and increasing taxes on goods, businesses have had to crack down on spending, and hiring workers only adds to their expenses. Junior Nicole Flores noticed a change when applying for jobs.
“It was very limited,” Flores said. “When I was looking for something, places weren’t really hiring. It was really hard.”
Some students have noticed that when applying for multiple jobs, they end up getting rejected by a majority of them, even if they submit a large number of applications across different positions. The difficulty of finding employment is fueling widespread stress and intense competition amongst teens.
“I applied to so many jobs,” Flores said. “I got declined [by all of them]. It’s so hard.”
With less jobs open on the market, it has made it harder for teens to make money for themselves.
For those who need jobs to help support their families, it has also made handling finances and bringing in a stable income much harder.
“It can be affecting families in a lot of different ways depending on your financial situation,” Sophomore Maddie Harness said. “[For] teens, it’s just kind of hard, because I know that a lot of teenagers want money, and to get that money, you need to get a job.”
Finding a first job as a teen is becoming more difficult due to fewer entry-level jobs are opening, and competition is increasing. Youth unemployment rose 10.8% in 2025, higher than the previous year, reflecting a tougher job market.
“When I was applying to jobs like Panera, I noticed that many applications asked for experience, even though the jobs were meant for beginners,” Panera employee Anelis Troche said. “This was very frustrating because I was trying to get my first job, and I didn’t have much work experience yet. At first, it made me feel like I had a lower chance of getting hired, especially compared to others who had already worked before.”
The rise of technological advancements has also contributed to the shrinking job market. The increase of certain tools like AI and automated software, such as self checkouts, are making it so less workers are needed.
“I’ve seen how automation changes how many employees are needed,” Troche said. “Panera now has self-order kiosks, as well as an app where customers can place their own orders instead of ordering with a cashier…because of this, less employees are needed at the front register.”
With job opportunities declining from 12.1 million in June 2022 to 6.6 million in December 2025, finding work for teens now is now especially difficult. Although it may be hard, it could potentially help ready teens for their future. As the job market tightens, many teens are growing concerned about gaining crucial work experience as well as financial independence.
“If the job market stays the same, I think the next group of teens will face even more competition, and they’ll get fewer traditional entry-level jobs,” Troche said. “Teens will probably need to be more prepared and creative to get hired in the future. It might be hard to get a first job, but it could also teach teenagers to adapt and gain skills that will help them later on.”
