Gen Z on the Job

While many of his peers sleep in on the weekend, Nik Shanks, 16, arrives at his job at a bagel shop in Burlington, Vermont, at 6:30 a.m. He’s there for the morning shift: using a deli slicer to cut meats, chopping carrots, and making homemade Rice Krispies Treats. As guests trickle in, he moves to the front lines to chat with customers, and takes and prepares orders.

Nik makes $15 an hour and saves most of that money for college and to cover his car expenses. He says the pandemic and inflation made him more motivated to take on the part-time work.

“Gas prices are going up,” Nik says, “and I want to make sure I have enough money to afford it.”

Nik is one of many teens today spending evenings, weekends, and summers on the job. Gen Z is working at grocery stores and restaurants, at movie theaters and retail stores. More teens are working part-time jobs now than they did in the recent past, an uptick that comes after several decades of decline in teen employment.

It is 6:30 a.m. on the weekend. Nik Shanks, 16, arrives at his job at a bagel shop in Burlington, Vermont. He works the morning shift. He uses a deli slicer to cut meats, chops carrots, and makes homemade Rice Krispies Treats. Then he moves to the front to chat with customers. He takes and prepares orders.

Nik makes $15 an hour. He saves most of that money for college and to cover his car expenses. Since the pandemic, he is more driven to take on the part-time work.

“Gas prices are going up,” Nik says, “and I want to make sure I have enough money to afford it.”

Nik is one of many teens today working evenings, weekends, and summers. Gen Z is working at grocery stores and restaurants. They are working at movie theaters and retail stores. More teens are working part-time jobs now than they did in the recent past. This is an increase after several decades of decline in teen employment.

At least 250,000 more American teenagers are working now than before the pandemic. Last year, 37 percent of people ages 16 to 19 had a job or were looking for work, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor. That’s the highest level the country has seen in 14 years—and experts say the trend is a sign that the economy is doing well.

“Teen employment is a leading indicator of the health of the economy,” says Northeastern University labor economics professor Alicia Sasser Modestino. “When you see high teen employment rates, you know that we have a strong labor market.”

Since the pandemic, at least 250,000 more American teenagers are working. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, last year, 37 percent of people ages 16 to 19 had a job or were looking for work. It is the highest level the country has seen in 14 years. Experts say the trend is a sign that the economy is doing well.

“Teen employment is a leading indicator of the health of the economy,” says Northeastern University labor economics professor Alicia Sasser Modestino. “When you see high teen employment rates, you know that we have a strong labor market.”

Rates of young people working have been in decline since the 2001 economic recession. But teen employment numbers declined during the pandemic, as overall U.S. unemployment rose dramatically. At the height of the global crisis in 2020, the number of teens working fell to its lowest level in years.

But as businesses started reopening the following year, demand surged. Many adults left low-wage jobs for better-paying ones. That left employers scrambling to hire waiters, store clerks, and other service staff.

“Across the board,” says Modestino, “as adults have reconsidered the sorts of jobs they wanted, they’ve moved up the career ladder and made room for teens.”

According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, a federal law passed in 1938 to protect workers of all ages, minors are allowed to work only in certain types of jobs—and there are limits to the hours they can clock in.

Rates of young people working have been in decline since the 2001 economic recession. They plummeted during the pandemic, as workers of all ages suffered steep job losses. At the height of the crisis in 2020, the number of teens working fell to its lowest level in years.

Demand for teen employees surged as businesses started reopening the following year. Many adults left low-wage jobs for better-paying ones. Employers were desperate to hire waiters, store clerks, and other service staff.

“Across the board,” says Modestino, “as adults have reconsidered the sorts of jobs they wanted, they’ve moved up the career ladder and made room for teens.”

According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, a federal law passed in 1938 to protect workers of all ages, minors are allowed to work only in certain types of jobs. There are also limits on the number of hours they can work.

Even with those limits, part-time teen workers are making up an increasing share of the workforce. At the Dallas Zoo, about 14 percent of employees are under the age of 20. That wasn’t always the case. Michael Poirier, who works in the guest services department and manages several teen workers, says the pandemic changed the way workers are hired.

“Immediately after the pandemic, the labor market became really tight,” he says. “It was very difficult to hire like we previously did, which was exclusively 18 and over.”

So the zoo met with local high schools to recruit hires as young as 15 or 16.

“That allowed us to kind of bounce back to something near our pre-Covid employment numbers,” says Poirier. “Without these high school students, we really wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

Even with those limits, part-time teen workers are making up a larger part of the workforce. At the Dallas Zoo, about 14 percent of employees are under the age of 20. It wasn’t always that way. Michael Poirier, who works in the guest services department and manages several teen workers, says the pandemic changed the way workers are hired.

“Immediately after the pandemic, the labor market became really tight,” he says. “It was very difficult to hire like we previously did, which was exclusively 18 and over.”

So the zoo met with local high schools to hire teens as young as 15 or 16.

“That allowed us to kind of bounce back to something near our pre-Covid employment numbers,” says Poirier. “Without these high school students, we really wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

Some experts say there are benefits to increasing work opportunities for young people. Many teens, for example, must work to help their families make ends meet.

Emily Amarillas, 18, has been working in guest services at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium for two years. She gives half her paycheck to her mom to help pay for bills and groceries, and she puts the rest into a bank account to save for her future.

“For me, [working] is very important because I want to be able to buy the stuff that I need,” Amarillas says.

She has advice for teens entering the workforce today for the first time.

“Take the job seriously, show up,” Amarillas says. And, she adds, “if you feel comfortable at a job, stay there.”

Some experts say there are benefits to having more opportunities for young people to work. Many teens, for example, must work to help their families make ends meet.

Emily Amarillas, 18, has been working in guest services at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium for two years. She gives half her paycheck to her mom to help pay for bills and groceries. She saves the rest for her future.

“For me, [working] is very important because I want to be able to buy the stuff that I need,” Amarillas says.

She has advice for teens starting a job for the first time. “Take the job seriously, show up,” Amarillas says. And, she adds, “if you feel comfortable at a job, stay there.”