Dive Brief:

• The industry in which the most 16- to 24-year-olds work is healthcare and social assistance, according to data ​the Bureau of Labor Statistics projected to cover one decade, from 2016 to 2026. This job category employs 9.7% of all members of the age group who are employed.
• The next largest category of working 16- to 24-year-olds is professional and business services. This industry employs 9% of all working 16- to 24-year-olds.
• These categories are followed by accommodation and food services, construction, manufacturing, educational services, financial activities, retail trade, "other services" (which include maintenance, personal and laundry services, and religious, grantmaking and civil organizations) and arts, entertainment and recreation.

Dive Insight:

Although unemployment rates across most categories dropped to a 50-year low, the rate of teen unemployment has remained steady at about 13%. Summer jobs may kick off the beginning of a career path for high schoolers, but demonstrably fewer are taking such jobs. Employers are initiating job shadowing programs to help students and inexperienced job seekers get a better idea of the options available to them post-graduation.

For many teenagers, a first foray into the world of work can be daunting; some groups are working with these students to better prepare them for the transition. With job-readiness skills and coaching, many are better able to land a job and hold on to it. Some companies are wooing these job seekers with the promise of training, and even covering the cost of housing and transportation.