The number of jobs added for workers aged 16 to 19 soared in June to 1,129,000, the highest June total in over two decades, according to the latest employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This after 594,000 jobs were gained in May, according to an analysis of non-seasonally adjusted data from the BLS by global outplacement and executive and business coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.
The 1,723,000 jobs added in May and June is a 36% jump from the 1,269,000 jobs added for teens in those two months last year. Teen hiring is on track to reach levels not seen since 1999, when 2,017,000 jobs were added.
“This is great news for teens who want to get back to work. The current data suggests many of the jobs returning to the economy due to reopenings are going to teen workers,” said Andrew Challenger, Senior Vice President of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.
