Teens and college students this summer likely will have an easier time of it padding their wallets for the school year. According to a new report by Chicago outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, teen employment this summer is already off to a stronger start than last year.
Employment among 16- to 19-year-olds grew by 71,000 in May, according to the report, which uses data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is well below the 125,000 new teen jobs averaged in May over the previous 10 years, but it represents a vast improvement over the 6,000 added in May 2010, the report said.
Typically, June and July are the peak hiring months for summer jobs, so this month is poised for even better numbers. Last year, teen employment grew by 497,000 in June, down 29 percent from 698,000 in June 2009. In 2007, before the recession, employment among 16- to 19-year-olds increased by 1.1 million in June.
