Teens in search of summer employment are struggling to land jobs.
For the fifth straight year, the national unemployment rate for teenagers is above 20 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The good news is there are more jobs this year in retail, a popular industry for teens. The bad news is teens are facing competition from older age groups.
The national unemployment rate among teens was 24.5 percent in May. The U.S. unemployment rate for all age groups was 7.6 percent in May, the bureau reported. Employers nationwide added 175,000 jobs.
Samantha Hudson, 19, has been applying for jobs since she graduated from high school two years ago. Now a student at Richland College in Dallas, Hudson said she's heard the same thing from nearly every employer: She doesn't have enough experience.
"I can't get experience if no one hires me," she said.
James Borbely, an economist with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, said older workers may be taking jobs that teens have typically held, especially in the retail industry, because unemployment rates for every age group are still high from the recession that ended in 2009.
In 2000, 2 million 16- to 19-year-olds held retail jobs, while roughly 2.2 million staffers were 20- to 24-year-olds. In 2012, teen retail employment fell to about 1.1 million and 20- to 24-year-olds held 2.7 million retail jobs.
"In some cases, teens may be competing with someone older who may have lost a job and has been put in a situation where they have to look for work outside what their expectation may have been," Borbely said.
Some employers prefer older workers. Claire's, a jewelry and accessories store aimed at the younger set, hires few teenagers at the Firewheel Town Center mall in Garland, Texas, assistant manager Meggan Ayala said, citing their unreliability.
"They sometimes don't have a car and can't get rides to work. They call in to hang out with friends. We've had a lot of flaky teens," Ayala said.
Jhunavie Serato, manager of the Papaya clothing store at Firewheel Town Center, said despite similar experiences with teens, store managers still hire mostly high school students.
Tyrone Taylor started working at the Six Flags Over Texas amusement park in Arlington about 20 years ago, when he was 17. Now he is the director of administration for Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor, also in Arlington.
Taylor said the two parks receive 25,000 to 30,000 applications a year. Of those, about 3,500 are hired. Teens age 15 to 19 make up 51 percent of the parks' staff.
Outplacement experts advise that teens wanting summer jobs don't have any time to lose. It's best to start the job search before school lets out.
