The unemployment rate for teens is currently 18.5%, the highest it has been in nine years. The economic slow-down has resulted in a tight labor market that leaves teens with more competition for jobs. Due to their lack of experience, teens are usually not given much hiring preference. They are now competing with college grads or even adult workers, who are also struggling to find work. Meanwhile employers are being flooded with applications for jobs this summer.
See "Teens seek work in tough market", Barbara Hagenbaugh, USA Today, June 8, 2003