Generation Z is changing the labor market: teenage employment in the US has reached a 14-year high
Kyiv • UNN
Teenage employment in the US has reached a 14-year high, especially in restaurants and retail, reflecting the changing attitudes of Generation Z toward work. Rising inflation and the desire for financial independence are driving more teens to look for work.
Today's Generation Z high school students are getting jobs after school and in the summer, reversing the trend of millennials not working when they were teenagers. The Washington Post writes about this on the basis of data from the US Department of Labor, UNN reports .
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At least 250,000 more teenagers are now working than before the pandemic, part of a gradual but consistent shift that is driving employment in restaurants and shops and changing cultural norms.
A total of 37 percent of teenagers aged 16 to 19 had a job or were looking for one last year, the highest annual figure since 2009, according to the Labor Ministry.
This growth came after more than four decades of decline, a trend that accelerated in the 2000s, according to the Labor Ministry.
Those teenagers who are working, they really want to do it. They are energetic and willing to work, which was not really the case with the previous generation of millennials
In interviews, high school-age workers cited a number of reasons for working, including financial independence and the opportunity to try new things. Inflation was also a major factor, with students from low-income families saying they work to help their parents pay rent and utilities, while others use the extra money to pay for rising gasoline and car insurance prices, or to go out with friends.
