Marketplace · Wednesday, July 1, 2026
The reduction in opportunities for teenagers to gain work experience can negatively affect their development of responsibility and future earning potential. Manny Rodriguez of Revolution Workshop notes that this decline makes it harder to teach essential work habits like punctuality and communication.
“I think all the people I know who worked seem more responsible than me.”
“It is a problem when we're getting them right out of high school, trying to make them job ready, teaching them good work habits, what it is to hustle and communicate and how to take constructive criticism.”
“The decline in teen work, particularly damaging for the demographic groups Revolution Workshop tries to serve, says Carl Van Horn. Having fewer job opportunities is especially difficult for lower income individuals. They're stigmatized. They don't have the connections, they don't have the money.”