Summer Jobs for Teens Make a Comeback—But Not All Types

The Wall Street Journal

By Krithika Varagur

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It’s easy to find a gig as a lifeguard. Demand is high for work in child care and food service, too. But teens and young adults are finding more competition for paid internships.

Working from home can be monotonous and draining. If we make room for things that bring us joy again, we might actually start feeling more productive.

Signs show that remote work is here to stay, for many. Some large tech companies have announced that their employees can choose to work from home forever. And a recent survey from Challenger, Gray & Christmas found that nearly 80% of companies are planning to keep remote work options beyond the pandemic.

It’s not just that employer demand for young workers dried up, says Andrew Challenger, a senior vice president at Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an executive coaching firm. Some modern teenagers also have incentives to spend their summers on unpaid activities like volunteering and sports, especially with college admissions in mind.

He believes that this year’s post-lockdown summer may buck that longstanding trend, because more teenagers typically want jobs when the labor market does better. His firm estimates that U.S. teens will add two million new jobs this summer. “All the industries where teens traditionally find jobs, like small retail businesses, restaurants and entertainment, are preparing for a huge surge,” he says.

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