**Summary: The Decline of Teen Jobs in the Age of Automation**
In recent years, the landscape of entry-level and part-time jobs, particularly those typically held by teenagers, has changed dramatically. The shift is driven largely by technological advancements and automation, which are steadily replacing roles that once provided valuable early work experiences for young people. While robots stocking shelves or delivering food might sound futuristic, these changes are already a reality in places like Japan, and it’s increasingly likely that American companies will follow suit before long.
**The Disappearing Teen Workforce**
The data tells a stark story: Teen participation in the workforce has plummeted over the past two decades. In August 2000, over half (52.3%) of Americans aged 16 to 19 were active in the labor force. By August 2025, that figure is projected to fall to just 34.8%. This decline isn’t solely because of automation, but technology’s broad impact is a central factor. Other contributors include the rise of online shopping, the shift of adult workers into traditional teen jobs due to job losses in other sectors, and the proliferation of gig economy platforms.
Faced with fewer opportunities, many teens have simply opted out of the job market. The positions that once provided a first paycheck—stocking grocery shelves, scooping ice cream, flipping burgers, delivering pizza—are increasingly rare, and competition for them has intensified as adults displaced from other industries compete for what remains.
**Automation’s Impact: Who Really Benefits?**
Automation in retail and food service is often touted as a way to increase efficiency and lower costs. However, the benefits seem to accrue primarily to business owners and tech investors rather than to consumers or workers. For example, while robots can now stock shelves or flip burgers, the customer experience isn’t necessarily improved. Food isn’t cheaper or better, and if a technical glitch occurs—like a software outage—service can grind to a halt in a way that simply doesn’t happen with human workers.
As Harry J. Holzer, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, notes, automation tends to shift compensation from workers to business owners. Profits rise as labor costs fall, but this dynamic contributes to growing income inequality. Meanwhile, there is little evidence that automation actually delivers significant productivity gains in the industries most affected, such as retail and food service.
MIT economist Daron Acemoglu further argues that automation’s limited productivity benefits are outweighed by its social costs. Automation displaces low-skill workers, pushing adults who previously worked in manufacturing or warehouses into jobs that were once the domain of teenagers. For example, the average age of a retail worker in the United States has risen notably: in 2024, it was 38.7 years, while in clothing retail, which traditionally skewed younger, the average age jumped from 29.3 in 2015 to 33 in 2024.
**The Erosion of Early Work Experience**
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