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A Fast-Food Problem: Where Have All the Teenagers Gone?

posted by mrpg on Thursday July 19 2018, @03:00PM   Printer-friendly
from the to-study dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

NY Times:

A quarter-century ago, there were 56 teenagers in the labor force for every "limited service" restaurant — that is, the kind where you order at the counter.

Today, there are fewer than half as many, which is a reflection both of teenagers' decreasing work force participation and of the explosive growth in restaurants.

But in an industry where cheap labor is an essential component in providing inexpensive food, a shortage of workers is changing the equation upon which fast-food places have long relied. This can be seen in rising wages, in a growth of incentives, and in the sometimes odd situations that business owners find themselves in.

Too many restaurants, not enough teens to work in them.

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 19 2018, @07:10PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 19 2018, @07:10PM (#709573)

    The fertility rate hasn't dropped anywhere near in half. The key words you might have missed were "in the workforce". I think a lot of teens aren't in the workforce because they don't have to be. Too much time in their rooms and on their phones. If you're not going out to movies and such, what do you need pocket money for, so why work for it? I had a girlfriend, took her out on dates, needed gas money for the car, etc. etc. A lot of teens these days aren't even motivated to get a driver's license!

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  • (Score: 2) by Reziac on Friday July 20 2018, @01:53PM

    by Reziac (2489) on Friday July 20 2018, @01:53PM (#709899) Homepage

    Back up a step. If the teen already owns a car and can afford the movies and the cellphone (stuff no teen used to have, hmmm), what does he need with a fast-food job?

    --
    And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.