Friday’s employment report showed that teen unemployment is 16 percent, more than three times the overall rate. Teenage labor force participation, a measure of how many teens are working or actively looking for work, has declined from 52 percent to 35 percent over the last twenty years. As the economy weakened and policymakers responded with minimum wage increases, young people were left behind.

Many teenagers do not have the skills and experience necessary to command high wages. When the minimum wage rises above what employers are willing to pay for unproven workers, the result — millions of young people out of work — should not be surprising.