Summer Bummer - Job Hunt

The loss of American jobs over the last two years has been the most important factor in the depth and length of the Great Recession.

A good part of the burden has been shouldered by young Americans just entering the work force or looking for a summer job.

The national unemployment rate for teens was 25.4 percent last month after hitting 27.6 percent in October - the highest rate since 1948, when the federal government began tracking the number of teens actively seeking work.

College students graduating this month also face a very tight labor market. This year employers plan to make just 5 percent more job offers to graduates than in 2009 according to data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Just one out of four members of the Class of 2010 has a job waiting for them and their average starting salary dropped from 2009 by 1.7 percent to $47,673. That may sound like good money, but remember many college students enter the work force carrying more than $20,000 in debt. Often the debt can be well over $50,000.

Are you a recent college grad still on the job hunt? Or are you the parent of a teenager who can't find summer work?

Let us know,

Send us an e-mail, and put "job hunt" in the subject line.

We'd like to know more about your story.