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Eighteen-year-old Dion鈥檚 employee Nevaeh Cordero loves coming to work.

After clocking in on Thursday afternoon, she prepared a small pepperoni pizza and a chef salad before helping a coworker put pies in boxes. Then, she looked around to see if anyone needed assistance.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to help out because, here at Dion鈥檚, we try our best to build a community,鈥� she said.  

While Dion鈥檚 continues to hire many teens, a national report predicts teens will have fewer work opportunities this summer. 

Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a global outplacement firm, said in a report last month that the number of summer jobs for teens this year will drop from 801,000 to 790,000. Last year鈥檚 figure was also down 25.6% from 2024鈥檚 nearly 1.1 million jobs, and 鈥渨ell below鈥� the firm鈥檚 prediction.

This year鈥檚 estimated jobs figure is among the lowest summer hiring totals for teens since the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the data in 1948, said Andy Challenger, chief revenue officer of the firm. 

鈥淲hat is striking is that it happened without a recession,鈥� he said in a statement. 鈥淚nflation and rising fuel costs are squeezing the same households and small businesses that hire teens, such as amusement parks, restaurants, retailers and summer camps. When margins tighten, summer hires will wait for demand to dictate hiring.鈥�

Cordero said many factors go into a teen鈥檚 decision.

鈥淭hey want to spend time with their friends,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey want to go shopping. They want to go see a brand new movie and really just enjoy their time outside of school. As a teen, you feel really cooped up in a classroom all day, and you wouldn鈥檛 really want to spend that time during the summer cooped up as well. I think (that) could be a leading issue as well.鈥�

鈥榃e鈥檙e still hiring鈥�

Despite national predictions, Dion鈥檚 has not reported a decrease in teens applying for jobs this summer.

Dion鈥檚 Chief of Staff Deena Crawley said the company, which also owns Tula鈥檚, plans to continue hiring teens 鈥� a mainstay for one of New Mexico鈥檚 most recognized companies. Of its 2,100 employees, about 64% are between 15 and 19 years old. The company has 28 locations across New Mexico, Texas and Colorado, including 16 Dion鈥檚 and two Tula鈥檚 in sa国际传媒官网网页入口.

鈥淲e鈥檙e hiring teenagers every single week,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e want them to know, Dion鈥檚 is a great option, and we鈥檙e still hiring.鈥�

Cordero applied to Dion鈥檚 in 2024, in part, because they were flexible with her schedule.

鈥淚 (was) very involved in a lot of things inside of school and outside of school, so being able to have a company that would work with me so I can work for them was really huge,鈥� she said.

Cordero said the job has taught her how to better handle money and improve her communication. 

鈥淗ow can we help each other in certain situations, not only with the company, but also with customers, difficult customers?鈥� she asked. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e always going to be a part of your life. You need to try and work with them to the best of your ability, whether that is getting a manager or kind of just offering them a cookie or a brownie once in a while.鈥�

Crawley said working at Dion鈥檚 has given employees, like Cordero, a chance to not only learn or improve their skills but also work through issues like shyness.

鈥淥nce they come to Dion鈥檚 and they work at the register, for example, they鈥檙e really put in a situation where they have to engage with strangers,鈥� Crawley said. 鈥淎nd so, it really gives them great confidence.鈥�

To expose teens to the company and the business world, Crawley said Dion鈥檚 has worked with high school DECA programs. DECA, formerly Distributive Education Clubs of America, prepares students for careers in marketing, finance and hospitality.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e learning some great foundational principles of business,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o then, they really make great employees because they can really put those principles into practice.鈥�

Crawley even said middle school teachers have reached out to her about introducing them to the business world.

鈥淭hey say, 鈥楬ey, will you come teach our kids how to prepare for a job interview?鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淎nd while those kids are too young to work, we are happy to make that investment and are happy to do those types of presentations so that when it is their time to work, they think of us.鈥�

Cordero, who recently graduated from nex+Gen Academy, said she plans on working at Dion鈥檚 for the foreseeable future as she pursues a degree in psychology at the University of New Mexico.

鈥淎s long as I鈥檓 in New Mexico,鈥� she said, 鈥淚t鈥�s a great company that I can grow in.鈥�

As for teens who are unsure about getting that summer job, Cordero offered some advice.

鈥淥ne thing I can tell them is, 鈥楧on鈥檛 be scared to try new things,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 your first job or new job, you鈥檙e putting yourself out there. You鈥檙e going to have many interviews in your life. Some might go really good and some might go really bad. But at the end of the day, you gave yourself an opportunity.鈥�

Gregory R.C. Hasman is a general assignment reporter and the Road Warrior. He can be reached at ghasman@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3820.