AI might take over more than one in four teen jobs in US by 2030 — should you be worried?
American teenagers rely on a number of jobs to get by while they are still students. The surge of AI has been a concern for working people across the globe, but there are reasons that teens need to watch out for it as well. A new research paper authored by a California high school senior estimates that Artificial Intelligence is likely to wipe out more than one in four teen jobs in the U.S. by 2030. According to teenager Karissa Tang's report, the technology will hit the entry-level jobs, including cashiers, fast food counters, retail floors, and basic customer service, for which mostly teens are hired.
“That’s the prediction within just the leading top 10 teenage jobs, which is around 50% of teenage employment. And that’s a 27% decline in 2030 from 2024 employment figures. So massive implications: it’s not looking too great for us teens," Tang told Fortune Journalist, John Koetsier, recently on the TechFirst podcast. That's impactful, as according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 5.6 million teens, or about 30% of Americans aged between 16 and 19, were employed in 2024. Furthermore, according to an MIT study, roughly 12% of the U.S. workforce could be affected by AI. The fails to highlight the fact that teens occupy the jobs that are first in line to be eliminated.
Tang, a research assistant at UCLA, published a 20-page research paper on AI and teen unemployment that draws on published research, U.S. government data, as well as publicly available data on employment and automation. She shared that she was inspired to write the report after her aunt, who runs a boba tea shop, told her that she wasn't hiring many teens this summer as automated ordering kiosks were replacing cashiers. “Instead of two cashiers, there are now zero. That’s two jobs per shop gone," Tang said.
Tang's report estimates that some jobs will be hit harder than others, and cashiers are right on the firing line, with an expected 54% reduction in teen cashier employment, equivalent to 385,000 lost jobs, by 2030. Following closely would be fast food counter workers, with a projected 37% decline, as AI-powered kiosks replace face-to-face ordering. Next in line are retail sales roles that are expected to fall 30%, while entry-level customer service jobs would drop by 39% due to generative AI chatbots.
While some teen jobs are relatively safer, Tang says the government and schools need to take steps to help teenagers find work and learn important, professional, social, and interpersonal skills. She recommends expanding digital literacy, with an emphasis on critical thinking and financial skills. Companies can also create alternative pathways, such as paid internships, apprenticeships, coaching roles, and community work, in jobs where humans still matter.
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