Summer jobs are harder to come by this season. Employment for those aged 16 to 19 grew by just 497,000 in June, down 29 percent from the 698,000 teen jobs in June 2009.

It's the lowest mid-summer job growth for this age group since 1951, according to outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

“This could end up being the worst teen summer job market in employment records going back to 1948,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. “With data now suggesting that consumers are pulling back on spending, it is unlikely that a late hiring surge will salvage the dismal summer job situation for the nation’s youngest workers."