Summer jobs were once a rite of passage -- but employment trends show the number of teenagers working summer gigs falling off every year.
Last summer, just 43 percent of U.S. teenagers were working or looking for a job. That was far below the 68 percent who worked summer jobs two decades ago.
Experts says Generation Z -- the generation born since 1995 -- has a different attitude. Observers like workplace culture expert Ron Newton suggest that Gen Z’ers have other priorities because of technology, spending up to three hours’ worth of screen time a day with their devices.
But Newton tells NewsRadio 740 KTRH that says parents can encourage a better by talking less negatively about their own jobs and by building a positive association about the value of work.
It's not just a matter of teen laziness, however. Analysts concede that older workers and immigrants increasingly crowd out teens for part-time seasonal jobs.
Teen summer workers generally hold hourly, part-time jobs.
Here are the most common teen jobs, according to research conducted by the Center for Labor Markets and Policy at Drexel University:
1. Cashiers
2. Waiters
3. Salespersons
4. Cooks
5. Laborers
6. Customer Service Reps
7. Miscellaneous Food Preps
8. Food Preps
9. Stock Clerks
10. Childcare