Getting that first summer job isn't so easy anymore for Long Island teens

Christine Cackett usually hires about a dozen teens and young adults each summer to work at her Huntington ice cream shop. 

This year, though, she hired just seven — four college students who returned from last summer and her three children — who will be serving treats at The Ice Cream Chick on Gerard Street. 

Cackett said a sales slump tied to fewer customers, due partly to extremely cold weather that stretched into spring, is one reason she cannot afford to hire more staff. 

“It’s the economy. It’s the fear of not being able to pay your bills,” said Cackett, who is contending with the soaring costs of business, including higher rent, business insurance, inventory and utility bills.

Cackett is among the employers on Long Island who have cut back on hiring teens this summer, reflecting a nationwide trend in which businesses, such as ice cream shops, amusement parks, children's camps and stores, that typically hire extra help during the season are instead operating with a leaner workforce, data shows. 

Nationwide, this summer is projected to be the toughest for youth employment in nearly 80 years, following last summer's big dip, as cautious employers reduce seasonal staffing over concerns about inflation affecting inventory costs, rising oil prices and other factors, according to Chicago-based global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Also, older workers are delaying retirement, reducing the pool of job openings for teen job seekers, the firm reported. 

Teen summer employment hits a low

This summer, employers nationwide are expected to add 790,000 jobs for workers 16 to 19 years old from May to July, according to Challenger, which analyzed data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It would be the second consecutive summer in which the number of teens hired was the lowest since the bureau began tracking the data in 1948.

Last summer, teen hiring fell to the lowest level nationally in 77 years, with employers adding 801,000 jobs, a 25.6% decline from 2024, according to Challenger.

The decline was not as stark on Long Island. 

Here, the number of workers 14 to 18 years old hired from July through September in the private sector last year totaled 20,580, the lowest for the third quarter since 2012, according to the New York State Department of Labor.  Teen hiring during the third quarter last year was 2% lower than in the period in 2024 and 9% below the quarter in 2023.

The numbers do not include government jobs, such as lifeguards and beach parking attendants employed by towns.

Challenger does not have summer 2026 teen hiring projections for Long Island. 

Teen employment rates nationwide have been falling for decades partly because many teens have competing priorities, such as sports and academic programs for college-bound students, experts said.

"For the college-aspiring, now a majority of teens, they are more likely to seek internships or other 'resume-building' opportunities, as college admissions becomes more demanding," Professor Ruth Milkman,  a sociologist of labor and labor movements at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, said in an email.

For some employers, older workers are more attractive hires because they are more experienced and more likely to stay on past the summer, she said.

The number of Americans at least 65 years old is growing, and many of them are working beyond retirement age either because they want to stay active in the workforce or because of financial need.

Last year, an estimated 11.4 million Americans 65 or older were working, a 34% increase over the decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Meanwhile, the downward trajectory in teen employment isn’t likely to change, said Andy Challenger, labor and workplace expert and chief revenue officer at Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

There was a "significant increase in 2022 right after COVID, when we were in this massive labor shortage, and wages were starting to rise really quickly. It drew a lot of teenagers back in to working, but that has since dissipated,” he said.

A decline in teen hiring doesn't have a major impact on Long Island's economy because the region's overall unemployment rate is low and its economic activity is growing modestly, said Steven Kent, chief economist for the Long Island Association, a Melville-based business group. Unemployment rates in April were 3.3% in Nassau County and 3.5% in Suffolk County, Kent said.

Further, there is less job turnover among all workers today than in the past because applicants searching career websites can better match their skills and employment wants with the positions availabile, he said.

"And, in fact, you might even argue that because we're seeing less quitting and better matching that it might be better for the employers because they don't have to do as much training and bringing people on," said Kent, who is also an assistant professor of economics at Molloy University in Rockville Centre.

‘No one answered’

Angel Leader, 16, of East Moriches, had no luck finding a job last summer and hasn't been able to find one so far this year, despite applying for several jobs at restaurants and a beach club.

She thinks the fact that she discloses to managers that she plays lacrosse and basketball on traveling teams on the weekends is deterring them from hiring her. 

Having a summer job would give her more financial freedom to go to dinner and other outings with friends, Leader said.

Instead, "I always have to ask my mom, like, 'Oh, can I have some money, please?' ... And she's like, 'Didn't I already give you money?' " 

Olivia Auerbach, 19, of Islip, said she applied for summer jobs at several places, including supermarkets and department stores, this spring. The only one that called her was Coyle’s Homemade Ice Cream  in Islip, where she started working in April.

The Suffolk County Community College student said she considers herself lucky to have been hired.

“In the previous year, I was looking for a job and no one answered,” said Auerbach, adding that she enjoys serving ice cream.

Coyle’s Homemade Ice Cream, which also has stores in Bay Shore and Lindenhurst, is open year-round and boosts hiring for the busy summer months, co-owner Quadir Russell said. His three shops will employ 50 people this summer.

Coyle’s typically receives 300 to 400 applications for summer jobs, but Russell got 1,100 applications this year. 

“I’ve gotten more applications this summer than I’ve probably ever gotten,” said Russell, adding that some of that increase is related to the Islip shop relocating to a larger space in April, he said.

Other Long Island businesses also said they received more job applications from teens this year than in past years, leading them to be more selective in hiring.

Where jobs are still available

Some employers on Long Island are bucking the trend of a challenging summer jobs market for teens.

For example, summer youth camps still rely on teens to serve as counselors or in other roles, they said. Recruiting teens has become easier because they are getting a greater pool of applications as other businesses are not hiring, managers said. 

Camps in New York also are required by state laws to hire a certain number of staff to meet the needs of their clients, said Jason Turnier, co-owner and managing director of Camps 'R' Us, which has nine Long Island campuses employing about 450 staffers, more than half of whom are teens. 

Camps are highly regulated by the state and require a certain amount of staff to supervise children and operate, said Turnier, who is also vice president of the Long Island Camps and Private School Association.

Summer camps in New York State also are not subject to minimum-wage laws, which enable them to hire a sufficient number of staff, he said.

Camps ‘R’ Us first-year base pay ranges from $3.50 to $9 an hour depending on the experience and position of the staffer, he said.

Staff also are paid for training and orientation, and may receive bonuses, overtime and gratuities, he said.

Minimum wage on Long Island is $17 an hour.

But many teens who apply for camp jobs aren’t motivated by the pay, Turnier said.

“They’re here for the experience. They’re here for the camaraderie," Turnier said. 

Rolling River Day Camp in East Rockaway, which will soon start its 34th camp season, got 500 job applications for this summer, a 28% increase from last year, director Marissa Goodman Allaben said.

“Regarding the increase in applications, I believe many seasonal positions elsewhere are being reduced to increase efficiency and manage the rising costs of operating a business on Long Island. Employers are also increasingly seeking experienced staff to ensure productivity,” she said in an email.

About 160 staff members, most of whom are teens, have been hired to join the 200 staffers who are returning from last summer, she said. 

For teens who are looking for summer work, there are several steps they can take to improve their chances of being hired, including asking parents, friends, teachers and coaches about job leads; politely following up with recruiters after interviews; and being appropriately groomed and on time for the interview, Challenger's report advises.

Also, teens should consider applying for jobs with employers that aren't the usual places students work, the firm said.

"Beyond retail, theme parks, and restaurants, many offices need help with filing, phones, social media and basic administrative work. Paid internships in industries you care about can be more valuable than a generic summer gig," the firm's report said.