It's tough out there, but with some perseverance (and luck), your teen needn't spend the summer on the sofa.
Dear Lisa: My 17-year-old son needs to get a job this summer to help save for college. He says he has been looking, and I believe him, but so far he's come up with nothing. I don't want to nag him, but the summer is passing us by, Do you and your readers have any suggestions? Meg in Carmel

Dear Meg: Teens who want jobs this summer will likely have to look harder than usual. (And they probably should have started earlier, say back in January, but that's water under the bridge now.)

About half (49%) of 1,100 hiring managers with responsibility for taking on summer help say they aren't planning to hire anyone at all this summer, according to a recent survey by SnagAJob, a job board for hourly workers. Of the managers that do plan to staff up, about 48% say they expect more applications than last year, including some from older displaced workers, so the competition will be stiffer. Not only that, but 64% of the available seasonal openings will go to people who have filled the positions in previous years, the hiring managers said; only 34% of summer jobs will be open to first-time employees.

That doesn't mean your son should just give up, but he -- and you -- will need to be persistent.

Most teens have to apply for at least 10 or 12 jobs to get an offer.

You can help your teen by setting up a written timeline of your child's availability. What hours is he or she willing and able to work? When will the family be on vacation? When does sports practice start, will work have to take a back seat? Spelling this out clearly beforehand will keep your son from leaping at a job with an untenable schedule.

Also help your teen make smart choices is it worht the gad for your child to drive 30 min. for $8 an hour? That's something you can look at as a team.
Other useful help for your teen can be proofing resumes and applications, I would love to hear from other families or teens that are looking or found work this summer!
Sincerely, Lisa