WASHINGTON (AP) – The owners of restaurants, amusement parks and retail shops, many of them desperate for workers, are sounding an unusual note of gratitude this summer: Thank goodness for teenagers.
As the U.S. economy bounds back with unexpected speed from the pandemic recession and customer demand intensifies, high school-age kids are filling jobs that older workers can’t–or won’t.
The result is that teens who are willing to bus restaurant tables or serve as water-park lifeguards are commanding $15 to $17 or more an hour–plus bonuses in some instances, or money to help pay for school classes.
By Paul Wiseman and Joseph Pisani, Associated Press
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