U.S. Teens Struggle To Find Elusive Part-Time Jobs

By Stephanie Reitz

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- The economic turmoil that has left many Americans without work is having a disproportionate effect on teenage job-seekers, whose quest for entry-level positions often pits them against experienced older workers willing to take any job for a paycheck.

U.S. labor figures show the 2011 unemployment rate nationwide averaged just below 9 percent, but for job-seekers ages 16 to 19, it was almost 25 percent - the third consecutive year in that range, and with some cities recording rates far higher.