Fewer American teenagers are looking for summer jobs, despite more employers looking to hire seasonal workers.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects this summer’s teen workforce participation rate to be around 40% as compared with 70% in the late 1980s.  The BLS has identified several potential causes for this drop-off including: (1) increased summer school requirements for teenagers; (2) more older Americans are remaining in the workforce; and (3) more immigrants competing with teenagers for jobs.

While many workers face wage theft (i.e. employers not paying minimum wage, overtime, or not paying workers at all), under the Trump Administration many undocumented workers are afraid to report these violations.  Under President Obama, the Department of Labor and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agreed that ICE would not interfere with wage theft violations.  While President Trump has not formally changed this policy, undocumented workers are nevertheless concerned about ICE potentially launching immigration proceedings against them if they report wage theft.

Dockworkers in Spain began a three-day strike to protest layoffs resulting from reform of the sector.  After the Spanish Parliament passed a bill to end the monopoly that allows only certain workers to load and unload cargo, the national union launched a strike with approximately 6,000 workers.