Over the next few months, there will be an influx of Michigan teens seeking employment for the summer, some for the first time, as they enter a promising labor market. Teens entering the workforce will typically find work in many highly seasonal industries, such as the Accommodation and food services; Retail trade; and Arts, entertainment and recreation sectors. Many of the work available in these seasonal industries may be ideal for teens, since they would typically require minimal education, experience or training.

This year, the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics released the teen summer forecast (June–August 2024) that provides projected values of employment, labor force levels, labor force participation rates, and unemployment rates for Michigan teens, ages 16 to 19. This data spotlight provides an overview of the newly forecasted data for the summer 2024 (June–August 2024) and additional analysis on historical labor market data for Michigan teens using data from the Current Population Survey (CPS).

Similar to statewide rates, unemployment rates for Michigan teens have trended downwards over recent years, falling significantly from the highs at the start of the pandemic, where rates reached 23.6 percent from June-August 2020. In subsequent years, jobless rates for Michigan teens have shown marked improvements, falling to a range between 10 and 15 percent. This summer, the teen unemployment rate in Michigan is expected to average 11.6 percent, down 2.1 percentage points from the 13.7 percent in 2023.

Labor Force Levels are Expected to Decline Slightly

This summer, an estimated 247,600 teens are expected to seek employment in the Michigan labor market. This is down slightly from 2023, but is above the number of teens in the labor market in recent years. Labor force participation among Michigan teens is projected to be 50.0 percent this summer. This is similar to the high teen participation rate seen in 2023 and above what has been recorded in the past 10 years. Having half of teens expected to participate in the labor market this summer is a notable improvement over the 38.3 percent of teens that participated in the labor market in 2020.

Teens seeking summer jobs are encouraged to contact Michigan Works! West Central at MWWC.org/Contact. Michigan Works! provides assistance in resume development and job search, including access to Pure Michigan Talent Connect, and also offers tips on applying to your first job.

For additional insight into the summer 2024 job market forecast for Michigan teens, read the full press release from the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics.