COVINGTON — About 600 teen-agers could seek jobs today at a Northern Kentucky job fair, but they may have a tougher time compared with a year ago, a labor expert says.

        Frisch's Big Boy, the Bank of Kentucky and the Newport Aquarium will be among nearly 30 employers looking to lure high school juniors and seniors to their companies for summer, part-time and full-time employment. The job fair will run 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at Holmes High School.

        “Teen-agers are going to have a harder time this year finding jobs than they did last year because the labor market is not doing as well. The economy is still recovering from the recession,” said John Stinson, a labor economist with the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.

        The national teen unemployment rate for 16- to 19-year-olds sits at 16.4 percent, up from 13.8 a year ago.

        “As our local economy continues to rebound and grow, it is vital that we make efforts to keep our youth embedded in our community,” said Nancy A. Gililland, vice president of Workforce and Education Initiatives for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, which helped organize the fair.

        Jim Amato, chief organizer of the annual job fair, said the event will offer other career opportunities for the teen-agers. Also on hand will be officials from Northern Kentucky Technical College and Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Marine Corps.

        Most of the students attending will be from Holmes High School, but some will come from Silver Grove and Campbell County high schools.

        “We want the students to definitely have a future, not just a job,” said Mr. Amato, who is also a collaborative teacher at Holmes High School.

        “We've got kids thinking, "Hey, I'm getting out of school or I will be getting out of school, I need a job, I need more training, I need the military, I need college.' As long as we get the kids looking to the future, we're doing the right thing,” Mr. Amato said.

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