Summer hiring off to slow start for Clark County teens

Some local teens are finding it difficult to get jobs this year. And data backs that up, showing the job market for young people is slightly slower right now than it was in 2024.

Teen unemployment nationally tends to be higher than unemployment among the general working population.

“That’s normal,” said Emily Robertson, regional labor economist for the Washington Employment Security Department. “Though younger workers are seeing high unemployment rates in 2025 compared to 2024.”

The unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds was 9.6 percent in April 2025, up from 8.3 percent in April 2024.

There’s an even larger gap for high-schoolers. The unemployment rate for 16- and 17-year-olds was 14.4 percent in April 2025, up from 12.7 percent in April 2024.

“How this plays out locally will depend on the strength of the local job market,” Robertson said.

Clark County’s job market has grown modestly — about 2 percent — since last spring, Robertson said.

“The industries teens tend to be employed in have mostly kept up with or exceeded that,” she said.

Leisure and hospitality added 400 jobs since March 2024. Construction added 500 and retail added 300. Education and health services — including health care, social assistance and private education services — added 700 jobs.

Matt Overton, lead pastor at Columbia Presbyterian Church in Vancouver, started Mowtown Teen Lawn Care in 2015 as a way to help teenagers find work and gain life skills, all while earning a paycheck doing landscaping.

“The whole concept behind Mowtown is helping teenagers get job ready and life ready,” said Josh Meyer, director of Mowtown.

The organization operates partially as a for-profit and partially as a nonprofit organization, so it can secure grants to employ more teenagers and also pay them to attend life skills training classes.

The program currently employs about 15 kids, but Meyer expects to hire more going into summer.

Mowtown focuses on hiring high school juniors and seniors but recently has added younger workers as well.

Meyer has seen demand increase for Mowtown’s program.

“The entry-level job isn’t as entry level as it used to be,” he said.

The company has garnered support from community members who sign up as clients just to support the mission of giving teens work.

“It’s totally what we set out for it to be,” Meyer said.

Some still hiring

Some local companies that bring teens onboard for summer are still hiring, but not all.

Vancouver-based Burgerville expects to hire about 150 workers in Clark County by early June.

The Clark County Fair plans to hire about 275 employees for the 10-day summer event. Of those positions, about 100 will be open to 16- and 17-year-olds.

A Fred Meyer spokeswoman said the retailer is always hiring and offers flexible schedules to work around school and family commitments.

Vancouver Parks and Recreation, meanwhile, already hired 63 summer positions to support the department’s summer camps and special events.

“We do still have teen job opportunities for lifeguards and swim instructors, but those positions are considered year-round, not summer specific,” said Melody Burton, a spokeswoman for the parks department.

Clark Public Utilities also already hired all of the utility’s student groundskeepers for the summer, though those positions are only available for those 18 and older.

Hudson’s Bay High School hosted the Grade 13 job fair last week, which drew about 50 local trades companies looking to hire local teens this summer.

Students at Hayes Freedom High School in Camas, however, weren’t so lucky. Thirty employers were originally scheduled to attend an April 17 career fair at the school. Only six vendors came.

Multiple teenagers at the job fair told The Columbian they hadn’t heard back from employers at all this year, despite spending weeks applying for work.

Robertson said the data doesn’t show clearly how much success young people are having in the local job market, other than 2025 being slightly slower than 2024.

It may be too early to tell. April traditionally marks when summer hiring ramps up for young workers.

“We may know more as we get further into the year,” Robertson said.

Sarah Wolf: 360-735-4513; [email protected]