Addison Beer, 17, center, prepares for summer campers arriving next week at the Virginia G. Piper branch of the Boys & Girls Club where she works, Thursday, May, 25, 2023 in Scottsdale, Ariz. With the job market the tightest in half a century, younger workers are playing a critical role in kicking off the summer tourism season this Memorial Day weekend. (AP Photo/Alina Hartounian)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Alina Hartounian]

BOSTON (AP) — Teens have long been vital to filling out the summertime staffs of restaurants, ice cream stands, amusement parks and camps.

Now, thanks to one of the tightest labor markets in decades, they have even more sway, with an array of jobs to choose from at ever higher wages.

To ease the labor crunch, some states are moving to roll back restrictions to let teens work more hours and, in some cases, more hazardous jobs — much to the chagrin of labor rights groups, who see it as a troubling trend.

Economists say there are other ways to expand the workforce without putting more of a burden on kids, including by allowing more legal immigration.

SEEKING TEEN WORKERS

Addison Beer, 17, center, prepares for summer campers arriving next week at the Virginia G. Piper branch of the Boys & Girls Club where she works, Thursday, May, 25, 2023 in Scottsdale, Ariz. With the job market the tightest in half a century, younger workers are playing a critical role in kicking off the summer tourism season this Memorial Day weekend. (AP Photo/Alina Hartounian)

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