Where are NYC’s jobs for teenagers?

For most New Yorkers, the Christmas shopping season provides a festive opportunity to purchase something special for close friends and family. But for young city residents like me, the holiday season also provides a much needed opportunity to find part-time jobs.

At least that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

Major retailers including Target, Macy’s and Bloomingdales are looking to fill thousands of positions in to help staff the Christmas rush. These opportunities are lifelines for the tens of thousands of unemployed New Yorkers.

But unfortunately, they don’t extend to all New Yorkers. I can speak from personal experience: I have tried to get a part-time, entry-level job — any job — for the last year with no luck. I have applied to roughly 100 jobs in Brooklyn, 100 in Queens and 50 in Manhattan without success.

It’s the same story for the vast majority of my friends and classmates: We submit dozens of applications and pound the pavement, only to hear nothing back in response or be told that we need work experience. But how are we supposed to get experience if no one will hire us?

New York has a summer youth employment program, but there are thousands of teens competing each summer for a small number of slots. My friends and I perceive that the privileged kids and smarter kids get these jobs, while the ones who don’t get good grades are left out.

It’s a frustrating cycle: Factors like having a bad home life hurt your grades, which then hurts your chances at getting a first job — and then makes it more difficult for you to succeed later in life.

It’s not an isolated problem. According to recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 40% of Brooklyn residents aged 16 to 19, and 20% aged 20 to 24, are unemployed. (Students like myself who are looking for work are counted in these numbers.)

Not exactly the New York City labor market picture the average person has in mind.

Jobs provide more than just some extra spending money over the holidays. They teach experience and values, including customer service, teamwork and hard work, that all hiring managers demand no matter what the job.

For some people they also supplement family income to pay for groceries and utility bills. My cousin is a good example: His father passed away in a car accident, and his mother broke her leg recently, which has prevented her from working. So he’s working an after-school job to help his family pay rent.

For others, a job keeps young adults out of trouble.

My neighborhood of South Ozone Park is not the safest. There is a lot of gang activity. If young people can’t get a job working at the corner store, they’ll get one working the corners. For these people, an entry-level job can literally save their lives.

It also provides some spending cash for fun. I know that sounds like a self-interested explanation, but if you come from a lower-income family, your parents probably don’t have the money to buy a new iPhone, headphones or whatever else. Earning some money at a part-time job gives you the means to do that.

So why are these jobs so hard to find? Some of it is just the broader retail climate. Payless Shoes and Toys “R” Us are just a few of the companies that announced closings this year. One recent analysis said there are 170,000 fewer retail jobs this year than last year. Judging by the number of empty storefronts around town, local small businesses have fared even worse.

The city’s incoming $15 minimum wage is also partially to blame. It has priced some of us who don’t have $15-an-hour skills out of the market. Hiring managers demand more experienced employees who are worth the higher wage.

That’s great for those who have those skills. But their wages are paid for by our lost job opportunities.

I’d happily work for $10 an hour or even less. But those jobs just don’t exist anymore. That’s a shame.

First jobs can be crummy. But they provide a paycheck, experience and self-esteem that are worth so much. When the Christmas hiring spree ends and the city minimum wage rises again on New Year’s, they may get even harder to find than the perfect Christmas gift.