While half of teens used to have summer jobs two decades ago, that number decreased to about 34.6% last summer
Last summer, 34.2% of teens worked in the “accommodation and food services” industry, a job only 22.6% held in 2000
More than two million teens worked retail in 2000, with that number dropping to 1.2 million in 2018, a 41% decrease
Researchers have suggested multiple reasons why fewer young people are working: fewer low-skill, entry-level jobs, such as sales clerks or office assistants, than in decades past; more schools ending in late June and/or restarting before Labor Day; more students enrolled in high school or college over the summer; more teens doing volunteer community service as part of their graduation requirements or to upgrade their college applications; and more students taking unpaid internships.
Source: Pew Research Center