Patrick Confer wants a cheap and easy part-time job for the summer -- stocking shelves or serving fries.
"Something where I can have a little change in my pocket," said Confer, 18.
He's looked online, he's filled out applications at various businesses, and he's yet to get a call back.
The problem is, the odds are stacked against him. The jobless rate for teens 16 to 19 years old was 26.4 percent in May, compared with 23.2 percent last May and 18.9 in 2008, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"Most of the time I think I'm competing with adults," Confer said. "It's crazy. My dad is hiring and he had an application from a guy who was a district attorney, who is now trying to get a job at a pet food place. Maybe I will be competing with a judge to be a dockworker."
While Confer will likely not be competing with judges, he will be vying for jobs with out-of-work adults, who have added pressure to the teen labor market.
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