Toronto 16-year-old can't find a job, despite applying to every retail and fast food establishment that's hiring: 'If teenagers can’t even land a dishwashing job, what happens when the real wave of desperation hits?'

Teenagers should be able to get part-time jobs in any functioning economy, but unfortunately, that's not always the case. Even businesses that typically employ some teenage workers, like restaurants and clothing stores, might shun a younger workforce for employees who can work more consistently and reliably, like adults without degrees who don't have the added responsibility of schoolwork and extracurricular activities. 

Teen workers can be a liability because they are only legally allowed to work a certain number of hours without a break. When I worked 8-hour shifts as a 17-year-old, my managers were adamant that I take a 30-minute break after working for four hours. It wasn't because they cared about me having a decent lunch hour; it was because the law mandated that they do so. 

In cities where the minimum wage is higher than $7.25, hiring managers might be less willing to give teens the benefit of the doubt, because they only have so much they can spare on payroll. There's a reason that companies are hiring minimum wage workers and scheduling them for slightly less than 40 hours a week. It's so they can have what are functionally full-time employees without giving them the benefits that full-time employees enjoy, like health insurance. Outside of the summer months, most teenagers cannot or will not work for 38 hours a week.