Engleski A - 2020. jesen, reading 4.

Allen-Mills is a senior in high school; Iraheta (25)

out of school in 10th grade.

What the two teens share is a (26)

of employment opportunities – both are struggling to find a full-time job. But teen hiring is sparse.

The job market is tough for everyone. But this recession has become a jobs disaster for 16-to-19-year-olds. (27)

most accounts, they would be better off staying in school than entering the workforce.

Proportionally, more kids have lost jobs in the (28)

few years than the entire country lost in the Great Depression. In 2000, teen employment was a relatively high 45%; nearly 7.3 million teens were getting a regular paycheck.

Then something (29)

.

By early 2008, teen employment had dropped (30)

more than 1.5 million to well below 6 million.

The problem is that older workers are crowding out kids. Teens in job-training programs are unlikely to land positions even in the mall – (31)

they are up against much more experienced workers.

In 2009, 42 teens enrolled in Jubilee’s job-search program; (32)

, only 11 found jobs.
No one is sure what to do about the problem. However, growing teen unemployment could lead to an American workforce that lacks the skills to compete with the rest of the world.