Unemployment has been a problem for all age groups, given the current economic conditions, but teenagers have been hit especially hard. Teenagers are being squeezed out of jobs by older workers returning to the labor force, workers who have been laid off, and college graduates who cannot find other jobs. New York city has cut the summer jobs budget from $8 million in 2000 to $3.3 million. Retail stores, the places that traditionally hire teenage workers, are increasingly looking to hire older workers who are seen as being more responsible.
See "Teenagers Facing Hard Competition for Summer Jobs", Kate Zernike, The New York Times, July 13, 2003