Lessons from Chicago teenagers on the job this summer
Introduction to the World of Work
They’re ringing you up at the register, stocking shelves, safeguarding swimmers, scooping ice cream and running social media accounts for a lot of grown-ups. These teenagers are on the job this summer, joining throngs every year who try to do more than just lounge by the pool, play on their phones or do chores at home. For some, it’s their first job.
The benefits are real. There’s been research showing people who worked as teens make more annually throughout their careers than those who did not. But this year’s job-hunters faced a tougher time landing summer work. In June, typically the peak of teen summer hiring, the unemployment rate for 16- to 19-year-olds was up to 14.4%, compared to 12.3% in June 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics. Employers hired 12% fewer workers in that age group this May and June than in the same months last year.
Changes in the labor market and economic uncertainty are contributing to the hiring downturn, with tariffs playing a key role, according to the Chicago outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas. Companies that typically hire during the season appear to have held off in anticipation of lower demand due to higher prices.
Meet the Teens
But the challenging hiring environment didn’t discourage these three Chicago-area teens. They’re from different backgrounds, with their own motivations for seeking work. But they share the same desire to be independent. They made it through the hiring gauntlet and talk about some of their experiences as fresh faces in the workplace.
Carla Fernandez, 17
Carla is spending part of her summer helping kids enjoy a great birthday. As a party host at Chuck E. Cheese in Skokie, she’s responsible for setting up the celebration area, taking orders and “making sure the birthday child has a blast,” as the job description says. Her work comes with other responsibilities, too, including checking people in and even cleaning toilets.
It’s all new for the rising senior at Loyola Academy in Wilmette. Her part-time position at Chuck E. Cheese is her first job. She decided to work over break in part because of a little peer pressure. Her friends usually have summer jobs, Carla says, and she felt it was time she got one, too.
What’s something you’ve learned on the job?
“Always just keep a smile because that actually does a lot, honestly. Everyone’s going through different stuff throughout the day. You just got to keep that smile.”
Jay Quirke Hornik, 16
Jay, who’s from West Rogers Park, is another first-timer in the workforce. He chose a unique place to get started. The rising junior at Jones College Prep, a Chicago public school, is interning at the International Museum of Surgical Science in the Gold Coast.
He gets to do a lot at the museum, including on a recent day when he shot a TikTok video featuring a prop skeleton at various exhibits. He mans the museum’s social media channels alongside other teen employees, including classmate Dana Eltayeb. They plan, shoot, edit and post videos showcasing the museum’s surgical tools, anatomical sketches and scale models.
What advice can you give other teens looking for a job?
“I would say apply as early as you can. I waited too long, and it was definitely down to the line, and I was a little stressed about whether I was going to get a job or not.”
Belen Doss, 16
Belen learned how to save lives last fall. The rising junior at the Woodlawn campus of the University of Chicago Charter School took part in the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago’s 12-week Water Works program, which introduces students from underserved areas to water-related careers, from oceanographer to lifeguard.
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