Teen Jobs Offer More Than Spare Cash, Expert Says : NPR

A quarter of U.S. teens between ages 16 and 19, who are looking for work, can’t find it. Michael Saltsman of Employment Policies Institute says teen unemployment isn’t just about buying pizza on Friday nights. The cash teens earn is often essential for supporting themselves and their families. Saltsman speaks with host Michel Martin.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

And now to matters of personal finance. As you may have heard, there has been some modest improvement in the job market lately. Some areas, or sectors, have started adding jobs after years of layoffs or inactivity. Now, that’s great news for some adult workers who’ve been suffering from long-term unemployment, but the picture is still gloomy for teen workers.

Nationally, a quarter of teens between the ages of 16 and 19 who are looking for work cannot find it. That number is closer to 50 percent here in Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital.

Our next guest says this is not just a matter of kids not being able to buy their own pizza on dates, that there are real consequences in these numbers. Our guest is Michael Saltsman. He’s a research fellow with the Employment Policies Institute. That’s a nonprofit research organization dedicated to studying public policy issues related to employment.

Welcome back. Thanks so much for joining us once again.

MICHAEL SALTSMAN: Sure thing. Thanks for having me.

MARTIN: So, briefly, when we spoke to you last year about this very topic – and since then, we’ve seen a slight increase in hiring, in general, but no improvement in hiring for teens. Why do you think that is?…

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