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Summer Jobs For Teens Hard To Come By

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Flipping burgers, bagging groceries and bussing restaurant tables are harder to come by this summer for Florida teenagers than you might think.

This year, less than a third of American teens will be able to score jobs because older workers, immigrants and college graduates owing Sallie-Mae pretty pennies are taking them away.

The decline is being blamed on a cultural shift. The "haves" are spending more time in educational or musical camps while the "have-nots" have no past work experiences or no social networks to set them above the rest.

Florida ranked number six on the list of states in which teens wanted summer work but were unable to get it or stuck working measly amounts of hours.

Given the Sunshine State's high rate of Black and Hispanic teens living in low-income homes it easily positions us in the top ten.

The figure was 14 percent for African-American teens when their family income was less than $40,000 a year, compared to 44 percent of white teens with family income of $100,000-$150,000. Hispanics in families making less than $40,000 also faced difficulties (19 percent employed), while middle-class black teens with family income of $75,000-$100,000 did moderately better, at 28 percent employed according to an analysis of Census Bureau Current Population Survey data from June to August 2011 by Northeastern's Center for Labor Market Studies

In all, more than 44 percent of teens who desire to have a summer job in the Nation won't be getting one.

Estimated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics our Nation's Capital, Washington D.C. was the location with the most teens seeking but not being able to land a summer job.

The list follows with Arizona, California, Washington state, Tennessee, North Carolina and Nevada.

On the contrary states like Wyoming, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota and Kansas had teens that are more often likely to find work. All states with fewer immigrant workers.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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