The number of U.S. teenagers with jobs this summer grew at a rate almost 95 percent slower than last year, a sign that could mean people in older demographic groups are taking jobs traditionally held by teens.

Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., an outplacement consultancy company in Chicago, released a report Monday analyzing U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics information. The report said the number of jobs held by 16- to 19-year-olds grew by only 6,000 in May, down from the 110,000 increase last May and the smallest rise since 1969.

John Challenger, the company’s CEO, said in a statement that the drop-off could be attributed to older people taking jobs with lower pay or because the number of teen jobs rose more than usual this year.

“Teen employment will have to see a significant turnaround in June and July to come close to last year’s hiring,” Challenger said. “The biggest obstacle to such a turnaround will not be the economy, which is now showing signs of growth, but the competition from older job seekers.”

Though the job outlook for teens may be dimmer than usual, a quarterly survey released today by Manpower Inc. shows that globally more businesses are expecting to increase their hiring in the third quarter.

In a survey of 18,000 employers, companies in 30 of 36 countries said they had “stronger hiring plans,” according to the survey.

Globally, the best job prospects are in China, Taiwan and Brazil; the worst are in Europe, following the financial crisis.

In the United States, job prospects seem to be relatively the same as three months ago, according to the report.

“Traditionally at this timeframe in the recovery, we would see more robust hiring in the U.S. market; however, the clouds of economic uncertainty as well as improved, yet tepid demand are restraining the enthusiasm for hiring,” said Jeffrey Joerres, chairman and CEO of Manpower.