Blame the employers as much as anything.  It is hard to blame them when they pick reliable people over untested ones.  Blame a lack of affordable public transportation in many areas.  When retailers move further out from the city centers only those with cars can access them.  You can't buy a reliable car for a few grand or even a fixer upper worth having for a few hundred anymore either.  One little thing goes wrong and you might as well just move on to your next car.  Blame the system, as well, places that sell tobacco and alcohol like gas station convenience stores need to have every team member available to do any job, which includes ringing up and selling smokes, beer and lotto, which teenagers aren't legally allowed to do most places.  The reasons are legion, but mostly it is because we live in a different time and world.  You can't even legally allow a kid under 18 to mow your grass anymore.  Not just nanny state laws, lawn care professionals got local laws to squeeze them out.