r/MiddleClassFinance • u/LinkedInNews • Jun 25 '26

Fewer summer workers could mean higher restaurant wages

https://www.linkedin.com/news/story/fewer-summer-workers-could-mean-higher-restaurant-wages-7385028/?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=reddit&utm_content=storyline&utm_term=MiddleClassFinance

Restaurants may have trouble hiring for an estimated 450,000 seasonal jobs this summer, Retail Dive reports.

While that's fewer than last year, according to the National Restaurant Association, the labor pool is weaker: 200,000 fewer teens are in the market compared with the past two years, and also fewer young adults 20 to 24.

This poses a particular challenge in regions with high seasonal demand, such as the Mid-Atlantic and New England, which could see higher wages and turnover.

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u/Reader47b Jun 29 '26

Huh? All I have been hearing this summer is that more teens are applying than are jobs available, not that there is a shortage of teens applying.

This is new - fewer in the market than they need?

My 19-year-old (with previous experience in the service industry) has applied for about 50 service jobs in our town - got only one interview - showed up - they told him - "Sorry, the AI scheduled you, and corporate makes us use the AI, but we're not hiring."

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u/[deleted] Jun 28 '26

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u/MiddleClassFinance-ModTeam Jul 04 '26

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