STUDY: These are the best jobs for young people this summer

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A new study from the ADP Research Institute revealed some of the highest-paying jobs for young people. Here’s what their research found.

The study — which looked at the payroll data of more than 25 million workers in the United States — identified as many as 1.2 million new hires each month, and used that data to examine summer break hiring.

According to the findings, 16- to 22-year-olds make up about one-third of all new hires each June. Comparatively, young adults between 23 and 26 years old make up about 15 percent of all new hires in any given month, the study said.

“While leisure and hospitality leads the way, other service industries, including retailers, warehouses, and transportation, also are big employers of young people during the summer, taking advantage of young workers’ availability to offer entry-level jobs,” the study said.

According to the ADP Research Institute, the following industries are expected to see strong summer hiring in the coming months for young people aged 16 to 22:

• Leisure and hospitality
  • 38% of new hires in May 2024
• “Other services”
  • 28% of new hires in May 2024
• Trade, transportation, and utilities
  • 29% of new hires in May 2024
• Financial activities
  • 21% of new hires in May 2024
• Information
  • 20% of new hires in May 2024
• Manufacturing
  • 20% of new hires in May 2024
• Professional and business services
  • 20% of new hires in May 2024
• Natural resources and mining
  • 20% of new hires in May 2024
• Education and health services
  • 19% of new hires in May 2024
• Construction
  • 19% of new hires in May 2024

The ADP Research Institute said the median hourly base pay of new hires between the ages of 16 and 22 has increased by 33.3 percent since May 2019, but pay growth has stalled since then.

Jobs that typically pay more for young people are jobs that demand skills or experience, the ADP Research Institute said. However, the research institute emphasized that the demand for workers is biggest in hospitality and leisure services.

The median hourly base pay for new hires aged 16 to 22 is as follows:

• Construction: $18
  • 2.9% increase since May 2023
• Manufacturing: $17.80
  • 4.7% increase since May 2023
• Natural resources/mining: $16.40
  • 2.7% increase since May 2023
• Education/health services: $16
  • 3.9% increase since May 2023
• Financial activities: $16
  • 6.7% increase since May 2023
• Professional/business services: $15.80
  • 5.3% increase since May 2023
• Information: $15
  • 5.3% increase since May 2023
• Other services: $15
  • 0% increase since May 2023
• Trade/transportation/utilities: $15
  • 0% increase since May 2023
• Leisure/hospitality: $13.30
  • 2.5% increase since May 2023

For the full study — including tables and interactive graphs — view the ADP Research Institute website.