By: Liz Farmer

If the summer wait staff at your favorite beach hangout in Ocean City is looking a little more seasoned than usual, don’t be surprised.

According to outplacement consulting firm Challenger Gray & Christmas Inc., hiring will improve over last year, when employment among 16- to 19-year-olds grew by less than 1.2 million jobs from May through July, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But with national employment still at nearly 10 percent, those teens looking in the usual places for summer jobs will have more competition than usual.

“Teens looking for traditional summer positions in malls, restaurants and movie theaters could face stiff competition from older and more experienced job seekers, leaving the best opportunities for those who take a more entrepreneurial approach to summer employment,” the Monday news release by Challenger said.

Last year, summer employment among teens grew by 1.16 million — slightly better than 2008, when employers added 1.15 million teen workers between May and July, the fewest since 1954. But compared with the more than 1.7 million summer jobs for teens added in 2004 and ’05, you get the idea how bleak the last few years have been.

Not all traditional summer jobs will be flooded with older applicants, Challenger said. The firm expects jobs in day camps, neighborhood pools and amusement parks to be for fruitful for teens. It also says with families cutting out expenses like lawn care and home cleaning to keep their budgets in line, there may be an opportunity there for teens to offer their services at a lower rate.

“Most importantly, do not get frustrated by failure,” the release said. “Many teens give up after applying to 10 or 12 jobs, concluding that ‘no one is hiring teens this summer.’ Chances are good that there are more than 10 or 12 employers in your city or town, so it is necessary to cast a wider net.”