The start of summer means it’s time for millions of teenagers to find seasonal jobs. But which major cities are showing the best chances for employment?
It turns out teenagers have seen sizable employment gains in cities like San Francisco and Phoenix, while experiencing large drops in cities like Philadelphia and Miami. Nationally, teenage employment has fallen by 5 percent since the recovery began.
I looked at changes in employment for teens age 16-19 across major cities – defined as having a teenage population greater than 200,000 – to see which cities were the biggest winners and losers. I calculated the employment average over May 2009-April 2010 and compared it to average employment for the year ending in April 2013. (Population remained relatively constant over this period.)
| Cities* with Largest Teen Employment Gains Since the Recovery | ||
| Rank | City | 2009-13 Employment Change |
| 1 | San Francisco | 30% |
| 2 | Phoenix | 28% |
| 3 | Washington DC | 22% |
| 4 | Atlanta | 16% |
| 5 | Detroit | 8% |
| National average | -5% | |
| *Cities with teen population greater than 200,000 | ||
| Source: Current Population Survey, PPI | ||
| Cities* with Biggest Teen Employment Losses Since the Recovery | ||
| Rank | City | 2009-13 Employment Change |
| 1 | Philadelphia | -32% |
| 2 | Miami | -23% |
| 3 | Boston | -13% |
| 4 | Los Angeles | -10% |
| 5 | Dallas-Ft. Worth | -10% |
| National average | -5% | |
| *Cities with teen population greater than 200,000 | ||
| Source: Current Population Survey, PPI | ||
What could be behind these major gains and loses? Most likely the employment prospects for teenagers mirrors general economic conditions in these areas. The fact that some cities experienced large, positive employment gains for this group is welcome given that the national teen unemployment rate stands at 24.5 percent, more than three times total unemployment.
As for the cities experiencing large employment losses, teens are likely competing with more educated and experienced adults, even for low-skill jobs. In a recent USA Today article, I explained that in today’s slow labor market recovery teenagers are increasingly finding themselves squeezed down and out of the workforce as middle-skill jobs disappear. I call this phenomenon “The Great Squeeze.”
