Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story misspelled Anabel Maldonado’s name.
Michelle Chen, 18, pays her cell phone bill, tuition fees, saves for college, and works a summer job at Boston’s SuccessLink youth employment program to help her parents stock the refrigerator when the shelves are bare and provide pocket money for her two younger brothers.
Chen, who will major in nursing this fall at Simmons University in Boston, said her family owned a Chinese takeout restaurant so she started working there in the fourth grade. Since then, she’s worked as a social media marketing and coding instructor for a hair-care company, learning soft skills like teamwork and time management that aren’t typically taught in schools.
These skills have helped her do better in class, she says, and also given her extra pocket money to help pay for her family’s living expenses.
“I’ve participated in many programs with underprivileged students my age across Boston, and I’ve noticed that many of my classmates are supporting their families with the money they earn,” said Chen, who is Chinese American.
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With consumer prices rising by more than 20 percent over the past three years, more teenagers are taking jobs to help financially struggling parents.
“The reality is that the economy is going to be a lot more volatile,” said Alicia Sasser Modestino, a professor of economics and public policy at Northeastern University. More than half of teenagers They work to cover household expenses like rent, utilities, and groceries, or to cover their own expenses like a cell phone, clothes, and shoes.
In fact, surveys show that the proportion of young people who contribute to household bills is increasing, with two-thirds contributing to some household bills.
Approximately 64% of parents living with children under the age of 18 I felt financially stable That figure is expected to fall in 2023 from 69% in 2022, according to a Federal Reserve survey released in May.
“If you look at where rent is and where grocery prices are, it’s absolutely essential that teenagers work during the summer,” Modestino said.
Why are more teenagers working?
Teen labor market participation is rebounding after decades of declines dating back to the 1970s. This month’s jobs report showed that the labor force participation rate for people ages 16 to 19 was 37.4% in June, up about 3 percentage points from a year ago and approaching levels not seen since the 2009 Great Recession.
Economic necessity is forcing many teenagers into the workforce, as it did during the financial crisis of the late 2000s, said Andrew Challenger, senior vice president at the outplacement and executive/business coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, who expects companies to add 1.3 million jobs for teens this summer.
“There’s no shortage of applicants,” said John Linehan, president and CEO of the New England Zoo in Massachusetts, who is the zoo’s hiring partner. City of Boston Youth Employment Program.
Modestino said the surge in teen workers stems from a combination of push and pull factors: employers looking for additional talent to fill entry-level positions in a tight labor market, and teenagers looking for extra income to hedge against inflation.
But money isn’t the only thing teenagers are looking for: After months of isolation during the pandemic, young people are craving more social interaction.
“COVID made me more withdrawn. I wasn’t very social, but this job has really pushed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to talk more and make new friends,” said Mia Gardner, 16. City puts spotlight on summer leadership program It will be held at the Boch Center, a nonprofit arts and cultural organization and an employer partner for the City of Boston’s youth employment program.
More and more teens are working to cover their expenses. Alexandria Hibbler, 19, said she’s working at Las Vegas Municipal Court this summer to build up her savings and “live a little longer” by spending money on nails, hair, food, clothes and vacations.
Some young people take on summer jobs to prepare for a career after high school.
Sarina Johnson, 17, works three jobs, including a part-time job at Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo. ZooTeen ProgramThis summer, her second time working at the zoo, she has been assigned to work in the children’s area, helping to care for the owls, goats and chickens.
Johnson hopes to one day become a veterinarian or zookeeper, and says the zoo job will help prepare her for that — and the $15 an hour paycheck will help her save for college or get a car.
“I want to bring joy to other people and help animals,” she said, but “college is really expensive.”
Mr Challenger said the jobs give teenagers skills they “never learn in school” and help university graduates beef up their resumes.
Kayla Washington, 19, a student at Prairie View A&M University in Texas, said she is working at an all-African-American family medicine clinic through the Strong Futures Las Vegas youth employment program to gain work experience that will help her stand out on her post-college resume.
“If you don’t have a good resume, you’re going to be ignored,” she said.
But there are benefits for students who aren’t pursuing a four-year degree: With tuition at some colleges projected to be nearly $100,000 next school year, more families are reassessing their costs and considering pre-apprenticeship programs, trade school, the military or jumping straight into the workforce.
Modestino said part-time summer jobs and term-time jobs can help teens find the career path that’s best for them.
“If you’re not going to college, you definitely need work experience to figure out what you’re going to do outside of college,” Modestino says.
Are there risks to having too much work?
Research shows that having a job increases high school graduation rates, reduces criminal justice involvement and leads to higher wages.
But sometimes it’s just too much work for teenagers.
2011 Study A University of Washington study found that students who worked less than 20 hours a week during the semester performed just as well as their peers. Working more than 20 hours a week during the semester was associated with lower academic achievement and increased behavioral problems.
Jemiah Bird, field coordinator for Communities in Schools, an Atlanta-based school dropout prevention program, said she has seen firsthand the negative effects of too much work. IHer job involves tracking teens’ schoolwork and attendance.
“They get off work around 6 a.m. and sometimes they come to school and sometimes they don’t,” Bird said.
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A 2021 car accident left Annabelle Maldonado, 34, of Philadelphia, with migraines and sensitivity to light and noise that prevented her from working. Since then, her son has been helping out as much as he can.
Arad Guinness, 16, works for an energy company and a daycare center and has been working there since this summer. Bank of America Financial Center Internship ProgramSome of the money goes towards rent, some towards school supplies and some towards food for her three siblings.
“I can never repay her for everything she did for me, but I’m trying,” Guinness said.
“Rising prices mean many families have less money to spend on the things teens want: clothes, dining out, movies,” says Northeastern’s Modestino. “And so many parents say to their kids, ‘Hey, go get a job and pay for all the extracurricular activities you want.'”
Maldonado said she initially opposed her son getting a job, worried it would affect his grades, but Gines said working makes it harder for him to keep up with extracurricular activities and homework, while her son tries to complete his assignments during school hours and maintains his spot on the honor roll.
“He proved me wrong,” Maldonado said. “Words can’t express how proud I am.”
