A time for work

The end of the school year marks the beginning of summer and with it, the hunt by many teenagers for a summer job. With the continued red-hot US labour market, unemployment among 16 to 19-year-olds is at its lowest rate since 1953, meaning many teenage job-seekers have a good chance of landing a job right now. But the overall rosy summer jobs outlook this year masks the fact that not all teenagers are experiencing the benefits of this strong job market equally. Alicia Modestino, affiliated professor at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), investigates why having a summer job is so important, and the difference that summer youth employment programmes can make in young people accessing summer jobs as well as building both soft and hard skills for future career success.