Job Market Tough for Teens in Minneapolis

For most of us, memories of our first jobs are pretty bittersweet. Sure, we may have made some friends, had good experiences, or even saved money for college; in my case, I paid my way through many school trips and bought what my sisters and I often needed for school. However, there’s often sour memories of disillusionment, being a “grunt” or “newbie,” or doing the work nobody else wants to do, too.

For many teens in this economy, however, first jobs can be pretty hard to come by. Taking those trips, saving for college or paying for a car—or making those love/hate memories—is proving to be quite difficult for today’s teens.

Teens in Minneapolis in particular are having a rough time seeking employment. Teens ages 16 to 19 in the city had an unemployment rate of 22% in the previous year, more than double what the city—and the very state itself—had on average throughout 2010.

This averages out to be a pretty big number, since teens already only account for about 4% of the workforce as it is. Jobs they’d normally take, however, are now often being taken by struggling adults who are trying to support families.