Teens looking for part-time jobs in New York City may have a hard time finding work because employers discriminate based on age, and the process is unfair, say some students.

Lerret Jackson is a 17-year-old high school senior who now works at Dunkin’ Donuts but remembers the job search being difficult and the “constant rejection” a lot to deal with.

The Bronx resident is not alone. In the past 13 years, the number of jobs held by teenagers ages 14 to 18 has decreased by 33 percent. Nationally, that’s an estimated 1.7 million teens unemployed from April to July of 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Lerret said that patience and age helped her finally get an interview at Dunkin’ Donuts. After a two-year search, she said turning 17 made a huge difference. It’s almost impossible to find employment “unless you are 17 or have an immediate connection to someone who could get you a job”, she said. “The process is unfair because there is such a large group of people in need of jobs, and there is not a lot of space but a lot of applicants.”

According to the Pew Research Center, teens are finding more jobs in the food service industry rather than in the retail sector.

The struggle to find a paying job continues for other students.

Aspyn, who did not want to give her full name, is a 16-year-old high school junior still looking for work and trying to make sense of the application process. “It’s hard because teens are limited to where they can work and how long they are permitted to work. Managers don’t want to hire people who can’t work whenever,” she said.

Aspyn recalled how the summer of 2014 was particularly hard to handle. She was rejected from a summer youth jobs program. She also complained that the application process for these kinds of programs was also unfair. “Teens out there actually need the job and don’t get it because it’s a raffle, yet others who may not need the job get it,” said Aspyn, referring to the job program.

Both Aspyn and Lerret agree that potential employers have stereotypes about teenagers. “Employers either think you are immature or can’t work when they need you, so they hire more ‘reliable’ people who could work full time when it is needed,” Aspyn said. “Employers also think that teens are immature, loud and bring trouble. But that’s the opposite of what actually happens and how teens actually are.”

“The reality,” said Lerret, “is that managers like responsible and mature workers who have flexible schedules, which isn’t always the case for teenagers in high school.”

“I have been looking for a while and it is really stressful because it takes a lot to get working papers,” Aspyn said. Then, she said, the process of applying for job is “even worse because you can apply for hundreds of jobs and not get one callback, which sucks and then you’re back at the beginning looking. And on top of all that, only about one in five stores hires 16-year-olds.”