WASHINGTON (AP) — 2022 is expected to be the best summer job market for teens in 15 years.
Researchers at Drexel University’s Center for Labor Markets and Policy predicted in a report last month that an average of 33% of youths ages 16 to 19 will be employed each month from June through August this year, the highest such rate since 34% in the summer of 2007.
And the pay available to them — $15 or $16 an hour for entry-level work — is drawing some back into the job market.
Teenage employment has already topped pre-pandemic levels even though the overall job market still hasn’t.
With desperate employers jacking up hourly wages, many teens can take jobs that pay better than the usual seasonal openings at summer camps, RV parks, and resorts, said Julia Pollak, an economist at ZipRecruiter
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