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Securing a first job can be quite a challenge, especially for young Canadians in recent times.
At a job fair in Calgary targeting youth aged 15 to 24, recent graduate Jay-Owen Angeles expressed his frustration, having applied to over 100 companies without any interview opportunities.
His brother, Ronin Angeles, a second-year student majoring in computer science and biology, echoed similar difficulties, stating his struggle even with food service interviews.
With a lack of experience, Ronin mentioned his willingness to take on any available opportunity.
Despite thousands of young individuals turning to job fairs to make a personal impression, the competition remains fierce. Over 5,000 attendees were present at a recent job fair in Calgary.
Young workers are significantly impacted by the declining job market, accounting for half of all job losses in the first quarter of this year, despite comprising only 14% of the labor force. Certain sectors that typically hire young workers are experiencing reduced hiring demand, while the post-pandemic population surge has led to a larger pool of job seekers in an uncertain economic climate.
Charles St-Arnaud, the chief economist of Servus Credit Union, emphasized that in a business environment where hiring willingness is low, young individuals bear the brunt of the situation, a trend likely to continue in the coming year.
Youth Bearing the Impact
According to Statistics Canada’s recent labor force survey, the unemployment rate for Canadians aged 15 to 24 stood at 13.8% in March, in contrast to the overall rate of 6.7%.
While there has been a slight decrease from the peak of 14.6% in September 2025, the rate has remained relatively stable at 13.9% since March last year.
During the first quarter of 2026, around 95,000 jobs were lost in the economy, with young workers comprising 53% of those losses despite their 14% representation in the labor force.
Many Canadians aged 15 to 24 face challenges in securing employment. One young job seeker shared applying to 100 companies without any interview calls.
St-Arnaud highlighted that uncertainties stem from
