More and more people from the ages of 16 to 24 are working, jumping into roles in fast food prep, waiting tables, and retail.
Youth employment dropped from 2002 to 2012, but rose after that. People from Gen Z ages 16 to 19 began participating in the workforce at higher rates than teens in years prior, causing the youth employment rate to rise from 2012 to 2022.
What kinds of jobs are common for young people?
In July 2023, 54.8% of employed young people ages 16 to 24 worked in hospitality, retail, or education and health services industries.
About a quarter of people in this age range had jobs in leisure and hospitality, the highest percentage of young people of any industry. This includes jobs like amusement park attendants, musicians and singers, fitness trainers, food preparation and servers, cooks in sit-down and fast-food restaurants, hotel and resort clerks, and waiters/waitresses.
Another 17.6% of teens and young adults worked in in jobs including cashiers, customer service representatives, retail supervisors and managers, retail salespeople, and store clerks and order fillers.
Education and health services employed 12.5% of young people, the third most of all industries. Jobs in education includes K-12 teachers, teacher’s assistants, and others. Jobs in health services include: home health aides, licensed practical and vocational nurses, and medical and health services managers.
Young people were least likely to work in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (which includes jobs like supervisors and managers of construction trades, mining and safety engineers, and construction equipment operators).
Do jobs held by young people differ by race or ethnicity?
The demographics of young workers vary across race and ethnicity, even among the top three industries that employ high numbers of young people.
Young Hispanic or Latino[1] workers have the highest employment rate in leisure and hospitality at 25.0%. This is slightly higher than their white counterparts, who have a rate of 24.6%. Black workers have a rate of 22.8%, while the rate for Asian workers was 21.4%.[2]
Black or African American youths work the highest percentage of retail jobs (21.4%), which often involve working in department or grocery, and other retail outlets. Their rate was several percentage points higher than their Hispanic (18.8%), white (17.3%), and Asian (16.1%) peers.
Young Asian people have the highest percentage of jobs supporting education and healthcare facilities (15.0%) compared to other races/ethnicities. In this industry, 12.6% are held by Black youths, 12.5% are held by white youths, and 10.0% are held by Hispanic youths.
Construction is another field with differences among groups. Young Hispanic and white people were more likely to work in construction, with employment rates of 8.8% and 7.2% respectively. Young Asian and Black people have lower rates, at 1.0% and 1.9%. Construction jobs can include laborers, carpenters, managers, electricians, and construction equipment operators.
There are also differences in government employment. Asian and Black youths are more likely to work in government positions (from federal to state and local), with 9.1% and 7.2% employment rates, respectively. These jobs can range from administrative roles to various public service positions. By comparison, Hispanic and white youths are less likely to work these jobs, with employment rates of 4.7% and 5.9%.
Curious about where time-honored summer camp counselors fall in the mix? The Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies camp counselors as recreation workers, which is an occupation under multiple industries. Camp counselors seeking employment will earn the highest wages in Alaska, where the hourly mean wage for recreation workers is $23.68.[3]
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[1] People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
[2] Estimates for the above race groups (white, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races.
[3] As of May 2023
