Getting a job as a teenager is the first sense of liberty you can actually feel. Having your own money and having the feeling that you don’t have to depend on your parents is, what some say, the most exciting step into adulthood.
The problem is, however, the availability of jobs for teens through the ages 16-19 were so low that most teenagers couldn’t even find a job if they wanted to.
According to The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Unemployment rates for youth ages 16 to 24 was 10.8 percent in July 2025”.
This is one of the lowest unemployment rates that the U.S. has ever seen, and this isn’t for reasons they can control. A lot of the time, places that are hiring want job experience, but that’s impossible for people just starting in the job field.
This makes it all the more competitive to get a job, which again, adds to the pressure and difficulty of getting a job as a teenager in today’s age.
It isn’t only teens against teens in the competition to get a job, recently a lot of employers have been hiring older people, like college students and adults, to take the jobs that are usually designated for teenagers. This is for the reason that adults and college students have more availability and more experience, which again, affects the chances of a teen getting a job if an adult is also competing for the same position.
Another reason that teens find it harder to get a job is because of the stress of afterschool activities like clubs and sports, which affects their availability, which employers aren’t really looking for in an employee. There is so much pressure on a teen in high school to accomplish and balance so many things in their lives, which can also be a factor in why teen students can’t find a job.
“The job market is hard because most places are looking for people with experience, which makes it more difficult to get a job.” stated Madison Chan, a senior here at LOHS.
Experience has to start somewhere, and if teens keep on getting rejected for having no experience, how will they gain it to be accepted?
Most, if not all teens, are applying for entry-level jobs, which makes rejection for having no experience illogical. It creates an unfair cycle that will keep on repeating unless employers start taking the time to train and teach new hires instead of expecting them to know everything.
Shelby Terranova, a senior at LOHS, said, “ I’m discouraged because I keep on getting rejected, no matter how hard I try, it always seems as if there’s always a better and more experienced person for the positions I apply for.”
Repeated rejection can make teenagers feel unmotivated, because the excitement of applying to new jobs can eventually turn into frustration if no one accepts them. A lot of the time, employers don’t even reach back to the people who apply, which can lead to stress and a loss of confidence.
Looking for a job as a teenager has become way more competitive throughout the years because a lot of adults are looking for entry-level positions that are usually given to teenagers. If teens keep on getting rejected it will lead to a loss of confidence and discouragement. Getting a job as a teen can help them grow into responsible adults because they are being shown responsibilities from a young age, which can change their lives as they grow older.