16 Jun Why Teen Work Experience Matters in a Shifting Summer Job Market
The latest national numbers on teen hiring tell a story of a complex dynamic labor market for youth workforce. Challenger, Gray & Christmas projected that employers would add 790,000 jobs for teens ages 16 to 19 in May, June, and July 2026, down from 801,000 last summer. If this forecast holds, it would be the weakest summer hiring season for teens in records that go back to 1948. The broader labor market is not in crisis, but the first job market is under pressure. In May 2026, the national unemployment rate was 4.3 percent, while the teen unemployment rate was 14.7 percent.
North Carolina enters this summer with a steadier labor market than the nation, but local numbers still show why early work experience needs more attention. In April 2026, North Carolina’s unemployment rate was 3.7 percent, with 5,097,931 people employed and 196,615 unemployed. The Charlotte metro area had a 3.5 percent unemployment rate in April, with a civilian labor force of about 1.48 million, employment of about 1.43 million, and about 52,000 people unemployed. Mecklenburg County’s unemployment rate was 3.6 percent. The local economy still has jobs in sectors that have a high demand for young workers; however, the pattern is uneven. Across North Carolina, leisure and hospitality added 5,700 jobs in April and 11,300 jobs over the year. In the Charlotte metro area, leisure and hospitality had 152,700 jobs in April, but the sector was down 2.0 percent from a year earlier.
A strong general labor market does not automatically produce enough first jobs for teens. This gap, for young people, is the difference between earning a paycheck, learning how to speak with a manager, building confidence, and being told to keep applying. The teen job market still has clear entry points. Employers hire teens as fast food and counter workers, dining room and cafeteria attendants, hosts and hostesses, retail salespersons, cashiers, lifeguards, childcare workers, recreation workers and camp counselors, office clerks, and customer service representatives. For internships, stronger long-term pathways include computer user support specialist intern, market research analyst intern, human resources specialist intern, and data science intern. From 2025 to 2035 in Mecklenburg County, dining room and cafeteria attendants are projected to grow by 20.0 percent, fast food and counter workers 18.0 percent, recreation workers 7.0 percent, office clerks 3.0 percent, and lifeguards 2.0 percent. Some teen friendly roles, such as cashiers, are projected to decline by 2.0%. Data scientists are projected to grow by 26.0 percent, market research analysts 10 percent, and human resources specialists 8.0 percent.
When fewer teen jobs are available, young people need more support to find work, learn basic job skills, and prepare for better opportunities. Mecklenburg County and the Charlotte region need earlier recruiting, simpler applications, stronger school and employer partnerships, and more paid summer experiences that help young people move from having career interests to skilled and practical work.
Charlotte Works’ WEX (Work Experience) approach helps turn local needs into structured career paths for young people. Through its youth and young adult services, Charlotte Works oversees NCWorks NextGen programs for people aged 16 to 24, and there is no cost to participate. WEX is a structured, time limited, and goal-oriented workplace learning experience that exposes participants to real work settings, reinforces soft skills, and introduces job duties that prepare them for future employment. Youth WEX may include summer employment, pre-apprenticeship, internships, job shadowing, and on-the-job training. Under WIOA guidance, youth work experience must include an academic or occupational education component, and Local Area Workforce Development Boards must spend at least 20 percent of local youth funds on work experience. For Charlotte Works, this structure supports youth skills through paid practice, career advising, employer feedback, and a clearer move from early work to sustained employment. A young person does not only learn how to complete a task. They learn how to arrive on time, receive feedback, work with others, speak with supervisors, and understand what a career pathway can look like in Mecklenburg County.
All these work experience opportunities can start any time throughout the year, most importantly, in summer when teens have minimal academic responsibilities. Summer remains a practical season for young people to build the habits that employers value and the skills that future jobs will reward.
By Akofa Dossou, Senior Economic Analyst
Sources
Challenger, Gray & Christmas. (2026, May 20). Challenger predicts summer jobs for teens will fall to lowest pace on record.
Charlotte Works. (2026). Youth & young adults. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. (2026). Unemployment rate in Mecklenburg County, NC. FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics. April 2026.
Lightcast. (2035). Occupation projections, 2035. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, Charlotte Works analysis.
North Carolina Department of Commerce. (2026, May 22). North Carolina’s April
employment figures released.
North Carolina Department of Commerce. (2026). For youth and young adults seeking jobs
and training in North Carolina. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
North Carolina Department of Commerce. (2025). Work Experience (WEX) eligibility and guidance (Operational Guidance OG 07-2025, Attachment 7).
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025, August 28). Occupational projections and worker characteristics, 2024 to 2034.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026, June 5). The employment situation, May 2026.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC economy at a glance: April 2026 labor force and industry data.