The death of summer jobs for teens as labor market shifts

What they're saying: "It's really hard with kids these days because they always want to be on their phone," McDonald's franchise owner and operator Jessi Bucar told the Colorado Sun.

• "They always want to have their AirPods in their ears and in the food-service industry, hospitality is huge," Bucar said. "When we tell them some of those things, they're like, 'No, I don't want to work here.'"

The big picture: The traditional summer job, such as lifeguarding, remains in high demand, but the decline in working teenagers is part of a broader trend.

• The proportion of 16- to 19-year-olds in the Colorado workforce has dropped to 39.9% compared to 55.4% in 2000.

Of note: Sage Hospitality doesn't hire summer workers for its 16 hotels and 14 restaurants in the Denver area in exchange for more reliable regular workers.

• "While seasonal business absolutely influences the occupancy and business levels within our hotels and restaurants, the number of job openings is not driven by a seasonal peak," Thelma Rockhold, Sage's chief people officer, said.