Jaelyn Chester, a 17-year-old seeking employment as a server, shelf stocker, dishwasher, or cleaner, says she is unemployed because nobody is hiring, not because she is incompetent. Federal data shows that about one-third of U.S. teens aged 16 to 19 were employed last summer, down from a peak of about 60% in the late 1970s. Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that the number of summer jobs for teens in 2026 is projected to be the lowest since 1948, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the data. According to the same firm, teens are expected to gain around 790,000 jobs in May, June, and July of 2026. Accounts differ on the year-over-year change: one source reported a drop of 801,000 from 2025, while another reported a drop of 11,000 from 2025. Today.com reported, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, that the entertainment and leisure sector will have 70% fewer summer jobs for teens in 2026 than in summer 2025. According to abcnews.com, Nicole Bachaud, an economist for ZipRecruiter, said the opportunities for workers at the start of the career ladder started to dry up. Summer jobs have traditionally been common for teenagers, but hiring has declined.