PISMO BEACH - Some are calling them the lost generation from the great recession.
Central Coast teens are finding jobs even harder to come by.
We went to the Pismo Beach Premium Outlet mall to ask local teens what its like to find a job.
"I heard it's hard because no one is hiring", says unemployed teen Nick Toney.
"There's a lot of older people unemployed right now", adds employed teenager Jessica Phillips, "so they always pick the older over the younger ones."
"Every week we'll get kids in here that are 15 or 16 years old and they're looking for a part-time job", says outlet store manager Monica Naccarato, "unfortunately we just don't hire anyone unless they are 18."
The unscientific survey backs up what the most recent statistics from the federal government reveal.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, five states and the District of Columbia have a teen unemployment rate of 30 percent or more.
California is number two at over 35 percent.
"I totally believe that, a lot of my friends don't have jobs", Jessica Phillips says, "a lot of them result to fast food places because they can't find anywhere that will hire them."
Teen job seekers we spoke with say they'd gladly take a job flipping burgers at a fast food place if they could find one.
"Of course, yes", says unemployed teen Eathen Dort, "I need the money."
"Yeah I would work in a restaurant", adds unemployed teen Tania Reyes, "but they tell me, oh you need experience, I mean how am I going to get experience if nobody hires me."
Labor market analysts say as long as so many older Americans are also out of work, teens will continue to find jobs scarce.
Before the recent recession, the last time the teen unemployment rate went above 20% for an extended time was 1981.
