Fast food restaurants are struggling to stay staffed, as fewer teenagers enter the workforce. Quick service restaurant expansion has boomed since the 1990s, outpacing the general population of 16-19-year-olds and—by a much greater margin—the number of that demo in the labor force. Roughly 45% of 16-19-year-olds were employed in 2000 compared to just 30% today. Cue rising wages, technological advances, and expanded employee incentives to attract and retain the young workforce. (NYTimes)
