Summer jobs for Toledo teens disappearing - 13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

School is out, and teens are looking for summer jobs, but they can't find them. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says these jobs are disappearing, and it all boils down to the economy. Many teens are struggling to land a summer job because other age groups are taking entry-level positions that teens normally fill. In fact, over the past decade, employment for teens between the ages of 16 and 19 is the lowest it's been since World War II.

Nicole Whitaker is a 16-year-old looking for summer employment.

"It's pretty difficult, looking for something to do for the summer and get paid while I'm doing it," she says.

Teens like Whitaker say looking for a summer job hasn't been easy.

Whitaker says, "It has kind of been hard because I filled out so many applications and no jobs are calling me back but other than that I'm going to have to keep trying."

Whitaker is far from alone.

Desirae Featchurs is also looking for a summer job.

Featchurs says, "I filled out a couple places like at McDonald's and stuff, and they didn't call me back."

Another teen seeking employment is Kaontae Horton.

Horton says, "No phone calls back, I'm not saying all the jobs do that, but the ones I have been applying for they have not been calling me back at all."

Leroy Bates helps Toledo teens seek summer employment. He says there are plenty looking, but few are hiring.

Bates says, "Basically it's a reflection of the economy and as long as the economy is bad business's are reluctant to hire young people."

The U.S. Census Bureau says older workers and college graduates struggling with debt are part of the reason. They're taking entry level positions as they battle to find their own jobs. More than 44% of teens who want summer jobs don't land them. Last summer, 1.7 million teens were unemployed, roughly 700,000 worked fewer hours than desired and 1.1 million wanted jobs but gave up.

Whitaker says, "Since everybody is looking for a job it's making it more complicated."