‘Industries rely on teens:’ Experts say summer jobs are out there, despite job market challenges

The school year is wrapping up for high schoolers. Soon, some teens will put down their backpacks and pick up an ice cream scoop, or maybe a lifeguard whistle. It’s the season of the summer job. But this year, it may be a bit harder to find one. Over the past year Minnesota lost more than 5,000 jobs in leisure and hospitality – sectors that tend to hire youth. In March, the teen unemployment rate was 13.2 percent, nearly double what it was in March 2025, according to data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. The higher unemployment rate could be a return to what was typical before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Oriane Casale, assistant director of DEED’s Labor Market Information Office. Casale joined Minnesota Now along with Billie Jo Greene, who helps teens find jobs as team leader of the Rural Minnesota Concentrated Employment Program in Bemidji.