Good news for adults! Employment has jumped as employers have added almost 290,000 jobs! However that sullen, entitled teenager serving you your fries at the drive-thru window might just be a little nicer this summer out of gratitude for having a job: a new report shows that unemployment among 16- to 24-year-olds has doubled from three years ago, to 20 percent.

“As far as summer jobs go, this is going to be the worst year to try to land a job since the Depression,” Heidi Shierholz, labor economist with the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal think tank, tells CNN.

Those numbers aren’t even the whole picture, as some youngin’s looking for gainful employment have just given up and aren’t even counted. Bummer, eh? Over the last 60 years, those in the 16-24 age group have held steady at 55 percent employed during the summer. Since the last reading in April, only 45 percent held a job.

Not making enough money to pay for that Red Dead Redemption video game isn’t the only impact on college students, either – missing out on a valuable experience to add to their resumé could affect their ability to land a job after they graduate.

“Summer employment experience is really important for your occupational path. It can have lasting impact on career and wages moving forward,” said Shierholz.

The dip in available jobs is due to a combination of factors: Less employers hiring summer help, experienced adults also looking for part-time work, and Congress, which provided the stimulus for teenagers to gain employment last year, has yet to approve a summer jobs program for 2010.

So next time the unpaid office intern helps you out with that big report or happily goes for coffee, just remember to say thanks, eh?

Summer jobs tougher to find, despite labor market gain [CNNMoney]

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