Closing malls hurt job hunt for teens.

• Position: YOUR LIFE

Young people looking for summer jobs might be out of luck, thanks to the recent closing of malls across the country. Stores such as Macy's and Sears have shut down 400 stores since last fall, and thousands and thousands of jobs have been lost as result. Once the mecca for young people looking to socialize as well as earn cash, these shuttered retail stores could spell trouble for teens.

"When so-called 'anchor' stores such as Sears of J.C. Penney close down, it becomes very problematic for the mall as a whole," explains Rob Wilson, president of Employco USA. "Filling that retail space is very difficult and, with giants like Sears experiencing a major decline, that means that many malls across the country are going to be left with huge vacancies. This puts all the stores within the mall at major risk, from your kiosks to your pretzel stands to your small clothing stores."

Moreover, teens could be facing a major dearth of internships as well. "An Internship used to be a popular way for college students to gain experience and build valuable contacts," notes Wilson, "but this is also changing in recent years. Free internships are now disallowed in many cases, which means that students no longer have the opportunity to work in their field of interest. As a result, they are opting out of employment and instead focusing...