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Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
These Are 15 High-Paying Jobs for Teens in 2025
Teen jobs with competitive pay? These 15 gigs offer top rates. Fact checked by Sarah Scott Getting your first job is a rite of passage. However, when it comes to teen employment, the rate at which the youngest workers are getting hired has slowed considerably. Unemployment for teens between the ages of 16 to 19 has increased by around 17% in the last year alone, according to HR Brew, a business newsletter. Meanwhile, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas predicted teens would gain around 1 million jobs from May through July 2025, a drop from 1.1 million last year and the lowest number of teen jobs added to the market since 2010. Still, all hope is not lost for teens who are job searching, as long as they know where to look. A new report from Resume Genius explores the industries that are hiring teens, and rounded up 15 high-paying jobs for those ages 16 to 19 years olds, per data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Turns out, teens can have some serious earning potential. 'There's a widespread misconception that teenagers can only get minimum wage jobs," Nathan Soto, Career Expert at Resume Genius, said in a press release. "However, our report shows that there are plenty of jobs employing teens that pay well, build confidence, and can even lay the groundwork for future career success.' 15 Jobs Your Teen May Be Interested In Whether a summer job or working throughout the year, here are 15 options offering teens more than minimum wage, according to the report. Food service manager, $31.40 median hourly wage About 33,000 U.S. teens work as food service managers, the report says. This job typically requires having worked in food service for a while, so, in general, it would be one for older teens who have worked their way up from positions like food runners, hosts, and servers. Carpenter, $28.51 Working as a carpenter requires hands-on experience, although classes in woodworking and apprenticeships can help with developing carpentry skills. This job involves tasks such as building, repairs, and installing. Keep in mind, carpentry and other skilled trade jobs are in steady demand. Retail supervisor, $25.01 About 37,000 teens work as retail supervisors, which typically involves managing store operations. Tasks including creating schedules and training retail workers are standard. There are no specific training programs for this job, but teens can get into the industry by starting at an entry-level job, such as a cashier or a retail worker, and moving up. Auto service tech and mechanic, $23.88 The report says the auto industry employs around 44,000 teens. Many get into the field by taking auto shop classes in school, though vocational programs and apprenticeships can be a foot in the door, too. Likewise, many repair shops offer entry level positions for teens just starting out. Administrative assistant, $22.82 Teens who are looking for office jobs can consider becoming administrative assistants. This job requires a high school diploma and some basic computer skills, so it's a safe bet for many older teens. Construction worker, $22.41 Construction is an industry that's expected to grow faster than average from 2023 to 2033, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Currently, 104,000 teens work in the field, according to the report. While the job may not always require formal training, it's a hands-on gig that involves being outside often, intense labor like heavy lifting, and handling machinery. Office clerk, $20.97 This job typically requires a high school diploma and basic computer skills, but many office clerks learn on the fly. While there are no certificates or training required, it's a good fit for teens with good organizational skills. Customer service representative, $20.59 This industry employs the most teens, by far, with 236,000 working in the industry, the report says. If your teen loves talking to people, it may be a good job for them. In the long-term, though, this one likely requires a good bit of patience. But as a summer gig? It's tough to beat. Delivery truck driver, $20.56 You usually need to be over the age of 18 to work as a delivery truck driver. This one requires a driver's license and a good driving record. It doesn't require any special certifications, unless teens are looking to drive larger vehicles. In that case, a commercial driver's license (CDL) would be necessary. Landscaper, $19.13 Yard work and landscaping has long been an in-demand job and special certifications aren't required for it. Licensing can give more credibility to landscapers down the road, but it's certainly not a requirement for teens new to the industry. If your teen enjoys it, it can even motivate them to start their own landscaping business in the future. Nursing assistant, $18.96 For teens who enjoy medicine, a nursing assistant can be a nice opportunity. In order to get a job as a nursing assistant, teens would need to complete a state-approved training program, then pass an exam. It's not an unpopular gig, according to Resume Genius which says around 68,000 teens work in the industry. Tasks include things like assisting patients, monitoring their vitals, and communicating with nursing staff. Security guard, $18.46 Teens who want to work in security need a bit of training, including CPR training, as well as physical training, and sometimes a license to work in the field. Likewise, most security guard positions require teens to be high school graduates and at least 18 years old. This job can involve anything from guarding storefronts to watching security cameras. Courier, $18.44 Couriers delivering packages usually need to have a driver's license and some basic customer service skills. Given just how many businesses now offer delivery, such as Uber Eats, Amazon, and even local grocery store delivery, there are many courier jobs for teens to choose from. Stocker, $18.12 Many teens work as stockers, with around 188,000 working in the industry, per the report. The job involves receiving packages, unboxing them (we know teens love this), and bringing them from the stockroom to the sales floor. Packager, $18.12 Becoming a packager doesn't require any formal education and usually comes with on-site training. Per the report, the gig involves packing, labeling, and getting items ready for shipment. Helping Your Teen Find a Job Of course, these aren't the only jobs available and your teen's interests and skills come into play when looking for employment. Overall, working offers teens various benefits, including improving responsibility, gaining experience, financial independence, and management skills. Your teen may also lean on you for help finding a job and that's OK. If needed, look over their resume, conduct mock interviews, and offer advice. If they have no idea where to start looking for a job, the report from Resume Genius also offers solid advice. Check local businesses. See if any places in the neighborhood are hiring. Teens can do that by walking around and spotting "Help Wanted" signs. Attend local job fairs. Those can be found through their school, local community centers, or the Chamber of Commerce Directory. Tap school resources. Teens can speak with their guidance counselor or someone from their school's career office for suggestions and job leads. Create an online presence. Encourage your teen to also create a LinkedIn profile. And speak to them about what they post online. It's not unusual for employers to search prospective candidates online. Read the original article on Parents Solve the daily Crossword
CNA
12-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
Commentary: Companies are getting worse at laying people off
NEW YORK: The latest jobs numbers in the United States may have shown a drop in the number of pink slips hitting workers' desks in May, but don't be fooled: Layoffs are alive and well in 2025. In the first half of the year, US employers let go of nearly 745,000 people, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That's the second-highest number for the period since 2009 – surpassed only by the first six months of 2020, when COVID-19 essentially shut down the global economy. The cuts are part of a broader trend. About 20 per cent of S&P 500 companies have fewer employees today than they did a decade ago, according to a recent Wall Street Journal analysis. Yet even after years of practice slashing payrolls, most companies are still shockingly bad at it. SUCKING THE HUMANITY OUT OF LAYOFFS In fact, it's the frequency and volume of workforce cuts that seem to be making them even worse; normalising the practice has ended up sucking the humanity right out of it. Case in point: dating app Bumble, which last week announced that it was laying off 240 employees, 30 per cent of its workforce. When employees, who received the news via video call, responded with thumbs-down emojis, founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd told them: 'Y'all need to calm down,' adding, 'Everyone's going to have to be adults in dealing with this.' I'm not sure what kind of response Herd expected. A thumbs-down is a much more work appropriate alternative to the digit they could have thrown her way – especially considering what we know about the impact layoffs have on both those let go and those left behind. (My colleague Sarah Green Carmichael has written extensively on these detrimental effects.) Also last week, executives at Microsoft showed their own flavour of callousness when they announced they would lay off 9,000 workers. That's on top of the 6,000 the company laid off in May. That Microsoft couldn't figure out the total number it would need to cut two months earlier suggests both sloppiness and thoughtlessness. Layoff survivors will now live in a constant state of anxiety that additional downsizing could be right around the corner. A SMALL PERCENTAGE CAN STILL BE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AI has only made matters worse. It's become a justification for layoffs, while also letting companies outsource the work of empathy to an LLM. An executive producer with Microsoft's Xbox, which was heavily impacted by the cuts, wrote a LinkedIn post offering some AI prompts that would 'help reduce the emotional and cognitive load that comes with job loss'. He's since deleted the post. Microsoft pointed out the most recently announced cuts are less than 4 per cent of the company's total workforce. That's still thousands of people, and is the kind of justification Harvard Business School professor Sandra Sucher sees as an increase in 'moral disengagement' on the part of CEOs. She told me the big bosses have become so far removed from the average employee that they 'don't seem to understand what it means for someone to lose their job'. Layoffs are increasingly 'stripped of any acknowledgement that harm is being done,' she added. A CRISIS OF TRUST It's the layoff edition of a broader phenomenon I've been following among America's CEOs: the end of the era of corporate do-gooderism and make-the-world-a-better-place discourse. Empathetic leadership, all the rage during the COVID-19 era, isn't part of the conversation anymore. And the lack of respect that employees have subsequently felt from their employers is accelerating a crisis of trust in big business. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has come to embody this leadership transformation. In 2022, when the company cut 11,000 employees, Zuckerberg – as was the practice of many CEOs at the time – took accountability for poor decision making. 'I know this is tough for everyone, and I'm especially sorry to those impacted,' he said. Fast forward to January 2025, when Zuckerberg said he was cutting about 5 per cent of staff by moving out 'low performers'. The blame had been shifted. There was no acknowledgement of what such a public statement might mean for the future job hunts of those impacted, and certainly no 'I'm sorry'. As Zuckerberg has said, he is done apologising.
Bloomberg
10-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Companies Are Getting Worse at Laying People Off
Last week's jobs numbers may have shown a drop in the number of pink slips hitting workers' desks in May, but don't be fooled: Layoffs are alive and well in 2025. In the first half of the year, US employers let go of nearly 745,000 people, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That's the second-highest number for the period since 2009 — surpassed only by the first six months of 2020, when COVID essentially shut down the global economy.
Fast Company
07-07-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
How to keep a workplace functioning the in the face of layoffs
A surge in layoffs during the first half of 2025 has neared record-breaking pace, with March's total alone the third highest number of single-month layoffs in history, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That total was eclipsed only by April 2020 and May 2020 during the pandemic. The 696,309 layoffs announced through May of 2025 represent an increase of 80% over the first five months of last year and are just 65,000 short of matching 2024's total layoff numbers. The reasons for these enormous numbers are multifaceted, ranging from staffing and funding cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and their ramifications to companies leaning in to automation and artificial intelligence to sluggish sales. And while the reasons may vary, business realities remain the same, even in the midst of layoffs. How can companies making cuts also keep the employees who remain productive —and retain top talent? 'The best people have other opportunities elsewhere and who wants to be on an unstable ship, right? So that's exactly the right question,' says Deborah Lovich, a Future of Work fellow at BCG Henderson Institute, Boston Consulting Group's think tank. Show compassion Lovich says that, throughout the layoffs, it's important to 'treat people who depart with dignity, humanity, support.' In addition to being the right thing to do, they may become customers or partners in the future. Finally, doing so sends a signal to those who remain. 'How you treat people in hard times is what the soul of the company is,' she says. Allison Vaillancourt, a vice president in the Organizational Effectiveness Practice at HR & benefits consultancy Segal, adds: 'Demonstrate compassion during the layoff process: People want to be part of an organization they feel good about, and they will be looking for evidence that others are being treated as kindly as possible during this difficult time.' Address the aftermath Lovich says that, as your team plans what happens after the layoffs, use the opportunity to 'add employee enjoyment of work into the criteria for reshaping the workplace.' It's a good time to streamline processes and focus on adding more of what employees enjoy in their work. Carolyn Troyan, president and CEO of HR consulting firm Leadership 360, says it's important to allow for a 'grieving period,' but to also begin addressing concerns about redesigned workflow and other issues. 'That's usually the first thing I hear from employees: 'They're just going to lay people off, and I'm going to have to take all this extra work. How am I really going to do that?'' Leaders need to ensure that their high performers know that they can come forward if they have concerns—especially when no one wants to come forward and admit that they can't do all of the work left after their teammates have been let go. Spot engagement surveys can help managers spot friction points that may indicate high-performers and other employees are unhappy. Troyan also says managers may want to look at redesigning physical space so empty workstations aren't a constant reminder of missing former co-workers. Be responsibly transparent Troyan says that it's a good idea to be transparent about the layoffs and the current employees' role in the company going forward to help them feel secure in their future roles. Managers may want to share their vision for the future, including potential career paths for high performers. Amy Mosher, chief people officer at Isolved, a provider of human capital management solutions, adds that it's important to help employees understand why they're happening. 'There are reasons why we have to make these decisions,' she says, and helping employees put them in context and realize that the decisions weren't made capriciously may not make them easier, but may help calm the concerns of the employees you wish to retain. Communicate in as many way as possible The methods by which layoffs are communicated will vary by company and situation—and larger companies may be required to give advance notice in the case of mass layoffs —but Mosher says some companies may simply send out a mass email or other communication after the fact to answer basic questions. But the communication that matters when trying to retain top performers comes from individuals, she says. She recommends 'deputizing' everyone who works in a leadership capacity in the organization to participate in keeping top performers engaged. 'Whether they're a supervisor or not, you have a lot of leaders in your organization,' Mosher says. 'Make sure that you've identified who those people are and deputize them so that they understand the why and they feel comfortable articulating it.' Make sure you involve the behind-the-scenes leaders—the administrative worker who has all of the answers or the gregarious IT worker who is the go-to person for computer issues. Engage those leaders and ensure they understand the reasons for the decisions. '[Make sure they] understand what's going on here, so that [they] can articulate it to other people at the water cooler,' she says. Identify your best people—and their managers It's a good idea to have regular discussions, perhaps quarterly, about your top talent so your management team is aware of the organization's high performers, says Troyan. 'Having some of those talent conversations as part of your operating model, you're just ready to go and have the list,' she says. However, if you don't have that list, it's a good idea to connect with your various departments and have them identify their top team members so the company can work on keeping them, she says. And one of the first things you should do with those top performers is offer reassurance, says Vaillancourt. 'Let top performers know they are highly valued and have a future with the company.' Consider offering retention bonuses to ensure your top performers know you are serious about wanting them to stay, she adds. She also advised considering the potential downsides of voluntary separation incentive programs, as they can be more attractive to top performers than to the individuals a company would like to release. Top performers may think, 'I can go anywhere, so let me get some money.' If organizations are not careful, these programs can deplete top talent.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Teens face hiring chill as they hunt for summer jobs
The U.S. hiring cooldown is casting a chill over a teen summer job market that has sizzled the past few years. Fewer teenagers are looking for jobs. And a smaller share of those looking are getting hired. The development appears to reflect the demise of a post-pandemic hiring frenzy that provided teen summer job hunters the most favorable landscape in more than 50 years, along with benefits experts say can bolster their entire careers. 'If you look at youth unemployment before the pandemic, that's pretty much where we're headed,' said Alicia Sasser Modestino, a labor economist at Northeastern University who studies teenage employment. Teens are projected to gain 1 million jobs in May, June and July, the lowest tally since 2010, according to estimates by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Among other factors, experts point to a generally slowing U.S. labor market, economic uncertainty spawned by President Donald Trump's tariffs and automation that's wiping out the kind of entry level jobs typically snared by young people. The Labor Department on Thursday is expected to report a tepid 113,000 job gains for June, down from 139,000 the previous month. Small businesses are still bringing on a healthy share of teenagers for summer jobs, according to Gusto, a payroll processor for small firms. Nineteen percent of their clients' new hires in May were 15- to 19 years olds, similar to the 18.3% in 2023 and 19.1% in May 2024. But total employment for that age group was up 11.8% from a year earlier, compared to a 14.3% annual rise in May 2024. 'The companies that rely on teens are still hiring teens,' said Gusto Senior Economist Nich Tremper. 'However, a declining hiring rate has effects throughout the economy.' Labor Department data reveals a more dramatic drop-off in teen hiring. The share of 16- to 19-year-olds working or looking for jobs fell to 35.4% in May from 37.4% a year earlier - the lowest May level since the depths of the pandemic in 2020, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics' non-seasonally adjusted figures. Marquise Shiemvs, manager of Chip City, a cookie shop in Arlington, Virginia, said most of of the shop's seven employees are high school students, but finding them has gotten tougher. Unlike in prior years, "They're really not coming in and putting in applications," Shiemvs said. Instead, the shop has recruited one or two teen customers to join the staff. Youths who are searching for work are struggling. The teen unemployment rate rose to 13.1% last month from 12.1% a year earlier, the highest May mark since 2020. Unemployment overall was at a historically low 4.2%. About 5.5 million teens were employed last month, the lowest May tally since 2022. For decades, a summer job served as a rite of passage, with 55% of teenagers working or job hunting in May 1979. The share tumbled to 32% to 34% through the 2010s as many teens instead got involved in school activities and volunteer work to bolster their resumes for college or took gig jobs not tracked by Labor, according to Modestino and the Society for Human Resource Management. COVID-19 changed everything. As the economy reopened in 2021, restaurants, hotels, shops and amusement parks frustrated by pandemic-related labor shortages turned to young people to fill an abundance of openings and meet a surge of pent-up consumer demand. High school and college students stuck at home during COVID-19 lockdowns itched to get out and fill many of the vacancies. They were also drawn by soaring pay as businesses scrambled to attract scarce job candidates, especially for in-person roles. Median annual wage growth for 16- to 24-year-olds climbed from about 8% in the summer of 2020 to 13% in summer 2022, according to 12-month averages figured by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. In May 2021, the teen unemployment rate fell to 9.5%, lowest since 1953, and hovered near a historically low 10% the following two summers. By May 2024, the share of teens working or looking for jobs hit 37.4%, highest since 2009. For teens, a summer job teaches soft skills such as 'how to work, in addition to how to do a job,' Tremper said. 'Just showing up on time and navigating dealings with colleagues.' Added Modestino, "These short-term gains over the summer are linked to long-term reductions in criminal justice involvement, improvements in high school graduation rates and increased employment and wages up to four years later." But several factors are coalescing to suppress teen hiring. Last year, businesses pulled back on hiring broadly as a post COVID-19 spike in demand faded but labor costs and interest rates stayed high. The drop-off has intensified this year as Trump's tariffs have spawned business uncertainty about a potential leap in costs in coming months. Average monthly job growth has tumbled from 168,000 in 2024 to 124,000 this year. Consumer sentiment, meanwhile, generally has plunged despite a partial rebound in June as Americans worry about a tariff-related resurgence of inflation. U.S. household spending is weakening, especially for discretionary services such as travel and hospitality, Oxford Economics said in a research note last week, adding that many foreign visitors are also shunning the U.S. because of the import fees. Such sectors typically employ lots of teens in the summer. In May, consumer spending fell 0.3% after adjusting for inflation, with declines of 1.1% for airfares and 0.6% for recreation services, and a meager 0.1% rise for hotel stays, according to Commerce Department figures released last week. 'The leading edge of the cooling labor market is teens,' Modestino said, noting they have less work experience than other age groups. 'Teens are the last to be hired and the first to be fired.' Before the health crisis, the summer unemployment rate for teens hovered at about 13%, compared to 3.6% for all workers. With hiring slowing broadly, teens are vying for summer jobs with recent college graduates as well as older adults, Tremper and Modestino said. Although companies are still hesitant to lay off workers because of the pandemic's labor shortages, those who are cut or just entering the labor force are taking longer to find positions. Through the first four months of the year, the number of 20- to 24-year-olds who are long-term unemployed (jobless at least six months) is up 32% compared to the same period in 2019, Labor figures show. Retailers are deploying more self-serve checkout registers and other technologies, providing fewer opportunities for teens, Modestino said. Artificial intelligence, she said, isn't yet taking a significant toll but could in coming years, she said. Immigration is declining amid the Trump administration's massive deportations of migrants who lack permanent legal status. Under looser Biden administration policies, net immigration to the U.S. surged to 2.6 million in 2022 (the 12 months ending in June 2022), 3.3 million in 2023 and a projected 2.8 million in 2023, according to the Congressional Budget Office. That compares to an annual average of about 900,000 from 2010 to 2019. But by fourth quarter, the total is expected to plummet to an annualized rate of 500,000, according to Oxford Economics. That theoretically should mean less competition for teens for the kind of restaurant, hotel and other hospitality jobs that some immigrants occupy. But Oxford says it takes time for of recent foreign arrivals to find jobs. For now, the labor supply is still being boosted by the immigration surge of the past few years, the research firm said. Some analysts said immigration's impact on the teen summer job market is mixed. Some recent migrants from Latin American countries who otherwise would seek restaurant and hospitality jobs are laying low because of the administration's immigration raids, Modestino said. The labor force participation rate for Hispanic teens was at 32.4% in May, down from 35.7% a year earlier, she noted. But a 2022 study by the Journal of Population Economics found that when arrests of Hispanic migrants increase, labor force participation falls among Hispanic adults but rises sharply among their U.S.-born teen children who try to replace some of their income. 'With the increased rhetoric against immigrants and recent actions of ICE, we may see a surge in teen employment in this population this summer," said Andrew Challenger, senior vice president at Challenger, Gray & Christmas. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Teens grapple with cooling job market
