Teens are having their best summer since 1953 — for employment

Alonzo Soliz said he's noticing something new about the job applications he's been getting for his two smoothie cafes in Texas: Most of them are from teenagers. 

"We're probably averaging five to seven applications a day at both of our locations," Soliz told CBS MoneyWatch. "It seems like every application that comes in is from a teen who has never had a job before." Soliz said he's hoping to hire a few older workers — those in their 20s and even 30s — to fill more manager-type roles, but he's not receiving as many applications from this age group as he did prior to the pandemic. "Whenever an application comes in, I'm hoping it's someone older with experience, but it's just not happening right now," Soliz said.