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How to submit a column In 2000, the teenage landscape was a different place. Destiny's Child and 'N Sync topped the music charts, Survivor popularized the new "reality TV" genre and, most retro of all, employers were still hiring teens. That's something the iPad generation can't relate to: About one in four teens will have a job this summer, down from more than half of teens just a decade ago, according to an April report from Northeastern University's Center for Labor Market Studies. "Kids got thrown out of the labor market in a big way," said professor Andrew Sum, co-author of the report. Sum laid out the competition teens faced in the last decade for low-level jobs: Older workers (55-plus), young college graduates (25 and under), immigrants and, as the construction and manufacturing sectors weakened, blue-collar workers. "Teen workers occupy the 'last hired, first fired' rung on the job ladder, and their employment is hit much harder during downturns than that of older workers," wrote Heidi Shierholz, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute, in a 2009 analysis. This has certainly been true this recession, when teens have been hurt more than any other age group. "We're at risk of having a lost generation of teens who were excluded from that valuable first job experience," said Michael Saltsman, a research fellow at the Employment Policies Institute (EPI). It's a risk Washington is working to alleviate: A bill that included $1 billion over 10 years for youth job creation and training was passed by the House last month and is awaiting a Senate vote. But if it does pass, that $1 billion won't buy a generation-wide rescue. Instead, the legislation aims to create 350,000 jobs, helping just a fraction of the estimated 2.4 million job-seeking teens. An enduring crisis Though a $1 billion subsidy isn't small change, the problem is even bigger: Teen employment has withered in the past decade, creating a teen jobs crisis that will persist well after the recession's end. Factor in the unsustainable national debt, and government subsidies are clearly not the elixir here. Instead, it's a good time to try a budget-neutral idea: Set a separate, lower minimum wage for those ages 16-19. James Sherk, a labor policy analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation, estimated that a shift back to $5.15 an hour for teens could create nearly 500,000 such jobs — at zero cost to taxpayers. It's notable that the federal minimum wage has seen a swift and steep increase in the past few years. Since 2007, it has jumped 41%, growing to the current $7.25 an hour from $5.15. In that same time, the May teen unemployment rate has skyrocketed to 26% from 16%. A 10% increase in the minimum wage reduces teen employment by about 2%, Sherk figures. And while the recession clearly played a large role, the rapid minimum-wage hikes exacerbated the job losses. A March policy brief from Ball State University estimated that 310,000 teens were without part-time employment because of the increases. When the minimum wage rose, creation of part-time entry level jobs plummeted — disproportionately impacting teens. Minority teens are especially hard hit. For every 10% increase in the minimum wage, there is a 7% decrease in employment for black and Hispanic teens, according to a 2007 study for EPI by David Neumark, a professor at the University of California-Irvine. Currently, black and Hispanic teen unemployment rates (38% and 29%, respectively) are significantly higher than that of white teens (25%). Why such a high disparity exists isn't clear, although higher high school dropout rates and less access to transportation and professional networks likely contribute. Even more worrisome is the potential long-term effect. The overall black and Hispanic unemployment rates are seven and three percentage points higher than the white unemployment rate — and if minority teens don't get those vital first jobs, these dismal disparities could grow. Jobs vs. wages Washington has shown little interest in passing a reduced minimum wage for teens. Labor unions and low-income advocacy groups — both of which vigorously supported the minimum-wage increases mandated in 2007 — are likely to be concerned that paying teens a lower wage will increase unemployment for older minimum-wage workers. Politicians might also fear touching a popular policy: A 2006 Gallup Poll showed that 83% of Americans supported raising the minimum wage. But public opinion can shift, and when the choice is either jobs or higher wages, I suspect jobs wins hands-down. Many advocates of a higher minimum wage also talk of its importance for low-income workers and families. However, teens' first jobs usually aren't about earning money for food or housing. Instead, they're about paying for college or other necessities, "so that I can do stuff without making my parents pay for it," as 17-year-old Californian Sarah Bridges put it to me. In fact, for teens, the most valuable long-term benefit of that entry-level job might not be the paycheck but the skills learned along the way. "There's an invisible curriculum from being employed, learning to work with co-workers, reporting to a supervisor, learning to deal with customers," said EPI's Saltsman. Not to mention that these jobs have become crucial to creating in the USA one of the world's most productive and competent workforces. For too many teens now out of school and bombarding businesses with applications, the high minimum wage is keeping them from acquiring those skills. With no prospect of Washington setting a lower teen minimum wage, the only lesson many of them will be learning this summer is the one that's been reinforced over the past 10 years: Employers just aren't that into them. Katrina Trinko, a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College, is an intern for USA TODAY's editorial page. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more