Economists have determined 2008 to be the worst summer since World War II for teenage employment, but for those with an aversion to flipping burgers and a penchant for poolside indolence, it’s proven to be a godsend.

“I’m a sports fanatic,” said Arlington’s Michael Crowe, 15, as he lunched at McDonald’s. “A job would take away time from [practicing]. And [a job] is not much fun.”

Michael’s friend Jessie Honey, also 15, vacationed in Belize for part of the summer, and has spent much of the rest “mostly hanging” and “mostly right here” at Tysons Corner Center, home to high-end stores like Armani Exchange, standbys like The Gap and the all-important Cinnabon.

Michael and Jessie conceded they sometimes wish they had a job and sometimes suffer boredom, but they are mostly content with their lot. Then, they ran off to buy tickets for a matinee movie.

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Today’s teens “have been more sheltered than any others in history,” said Reena Nadler, a researcher at Great Falls-based generational consulting firm LifeCourse Associates. She cited seat belt laws, “Baby on Board” signs, school locker checks and near-ubiquitous security cameras.

Those factors, along with unprecedented levels of like-mindedness and even fondness for their parents, have tempered the cries for independence that led previous generations of teens to work menial jobs for minimum wage, Nadler said.

In fact, only about 45 percent of teens from families earning more than $100,000 per year are working a paid job this summer, down significantly from the 1970s and 1980s, said Joseph McLaughlin, a research associate at Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies and the co-author of a recent report calling for more summer job creation.

“We’ve found that your work experience in high school is an important predictor of whether you’ll work in your 20s and how much you’ll learn,” McLaughlin said. “Kids not working now are setting themselves on a lower trajectory.”

And even as some revel in the free time, McLaughlin said laziness isn’t always to blame.

“For the past three to four years, teens have faced intense competition from other groups of workers,” he said, explaining that suburban employment is increasingly filled by senior citizens looking to supplement retirement, while city kids suffer in part from an influx of immigrant labor.

But then there are kids like 17-year-old Tyrone Williams, hanging out at Pentagon City Mall with several friends.

“I don’t need a job — I have parents,” Tyrone said. “I think my parents wish I would get a job.”

Examiner interns Sarah Raymond and Joy Pavelski contributed to this story.

lfabel@dcexaminer.com