Summer jobs have been teenagers’ rite of passage for generations—from scooping ice cream and babysitting, to lifeguarding and bagging groceries. But as a hiring freeze has taken over the labor market, high schoolers are feeling the chill. So far 2026 is shaping up to be the worst summer job market in nearly eight decades.
Teenagers will gain around 790,000 jobs in May, June, and July of this year—down 801,000 from 2025—according to a recent report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas. And if the prediction plays out in the coming months, it would mark the lowest summer of teen hiring since 1948, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the data. Beyond the previous year, the only other time this figure dropped to a steep trough was in 2010 (960,000) as the U.S. was reeling from the Great Recession.
Now, high schoolers are flocking to the limited roles up for grabs.
Sundae School Homemade Ice Cream, an ice-cream shop in the coastal town of Cape Cod, received hundreds of applications from teens for just 50 open summer jobs, the WSJ reported. Additionally, lifeguard positions have surged 78% over the past year, according to data from Indeed. But some of the classic seasonal gigs are also pulling back in the middle of an uncertain economic environment. However, there are still a few bright spots left for teens on the hunt for summer work.
“This summer will be tougher for high schoolers, because the industries that typically hire teens are pulling back,” Kory Kantenga, head of economics, Americas at LinkedIn, tells Fortune. “High schoolers looking for summer work should expect to face more competition as conditions have become more challenging for all young workers.”
Why employers are cutting back on hiring teens—and who is hiring
High schoolers have rising inflation, higher oil prices, and a sluggish hiring market to blame for their job woes, according to the Challenger report. But Andy Challenger, a labor and workplace expert and chief revenue officer for the global outplacement firm, said 2025’s weak rate was especially striking as it didn’t happen during a recession.
Kantenga also points out that classic summer jobs are being hit hard in the general employment freeze affecting millions of Americans. Hiring for retail salespeople is down 30% year-over-year, which has historically served as a first job for millions of teens; and restaurant hiring has also dropped 5%, according to LinkedIn data.
While major employers may be able to bring in a steadier stream of young workers, mom-and-pop businesses that rely on the same labor are having to pull back in a challenging economy.
“Inflation and rising fuel costs are squeezing the same households and small businesses that hire teens,” Challenger wrote in the report, referencing employers like amusement parks and retailers. “When margins tighten, summer hirers will wait for demand to dictate hiring.”
At the same time, high schoolers still have a good shot at other traditional summer gigs.
Hiring for camp counselors has shot up by 30% over the last year, according to LinkedIn’s head of economics, and restaurant host and server jobs received a 10% boost.
The Challenger report also notes that as the immigration enforcement crackdown continues, employers in affected areas will be pushed to rely heavily on local teens. This could create a labor demand in some areas such as agriculture, hospitality, and food service.
How high schoolers should handle the jobs drought
As a result of a tightening summer job market, the competition will be hotter than ever, Kantenga says. The unemployment rate for 16 to 19 year-olds has climbed from 13% to 14.4% as of mid-May, several points above the 2021 to 2022 rate of 11%. And thanks to the nature of teens working in high-turnover sectors—like retail and hospitality—reduced hiring drives up job competition and unemployment.
While it’s still possible for high schoolers to land a job at Hollister or their local pool club, some may want to reconsider the gigs they’re aiming for, Kantenga advises. They can do more than clock in for an hourly gig—staying agile and business-savvy could be key to their success.
“High schoolers this summer may need to rethink what a typical summer job looks like, be entrepreneurial when possible and stay flexible about where they find opportunities,” the LinkedIn economics leader recommends. “A summer job does not need to map perfectly to a future career to be valuable, but early work experiences can help young people build in-demand, transferable skills.”
The Challenger report also advises teens to start filling out applications ASAP. They should be networking with people in their community, polishing their resumes with AI, job hunting outside generic industries, and practicing interview questions. Teens need to grind out consistent effort to land an opportunity in the worst summer job market over the past 77 years.
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