The upcoming reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant is prompting closer scrutiny of how families affected by the law are faring. This research brief examines teen employment in the context of welfare reform, drawing on data from the National Survey of America's Families (NSAF) to describe employment patterns among teens ages 14 to 17 years. The brief reports that teens in families receiving welfare benefits are much less likely to have jobs than those in families that have left the welfare rolls. Moreover, the brief indicates, working teens in families that have recently left the welfare rolls are much more likely to work long hours than any other group of youth. Large differences across states are reported in the proportion of teens who work. The brief's findings suggest that enhancing employment opportunities for youth in welfare families, while considering pressures to work overly long hours, should be a focus of the TANF reauthorization debate. In addition, the findings demonstrate that states face very different needs in the youth employment area, suggesting that the focus and scope of state youth employment programs should take this into account. (Contains 15 endnotes.) (Author/KB)