How teens can get - and make the most of - a summer job

Summer jobs for teens are still thought of as a rite of passage, a critical milestone on the way to adulthood. Most older adults who were teenagers in the 1960s and 1970s can readily recall their adventures with their summer jobs.

Yet the number of teens with a summer job has been falling.

Should we be worried about the decline in teenage employment? What factors account for the drop? Most importantly, for those teens who want or need a summer job, how do they get one? How can they take advantage of the tight labor market?

MPR's Chris Farrell talked with four guests about these questions.

•Oriane Casale is the assistant director of the labor market information office of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

•Ibrahim Adam is a teen who works at Cookie Cart in north Minneapolis

•Arnise Roberson is senior career and college coordinator at North High School in Minneapolis.

•Shaina Abraham is program director for St. Paul-based Right Track.

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.