A tax credit for employers who create jobs, or another round of payroll-tax breaks for employers who hire, could give employment a boost. Critics say this hasn't worked very well in the past, and that employers base their hiring on how badly they need workers, not on a tax benefit.
Another approach to lowering the cost of hiring, offered by some conservatives, would be to lower the minimum wage for teens. This would help open early opportunities for job experience. For now, teens have a jobless rate of 25 percent.
