ANALYSIS | Youth Bear Brunt Of Unemployment In Tightening Job Market

Photo Credit: European Parliament

Young Canadians currently searching for employment are faced with one of the highest unemployment rates that Canada has ever seen, according to CBC. The most recent labour force survey conducted by Statistics Canada reveals that the unemployment rate for Canadians aged 15 to 24 was 13.8 per cent in March, compared to the national average of 6.7 per cent overall. 

While that is lower than the recent high of 14.6 per cent in September 2025, it is basically unchanged from the 13.9 per cent in March of last year, as per CBC.

Charles St-Arnaud, chief economist of the Servus Credit Union, told CBC that “in the economic context where businesses are less willing to hire, it will be the youth that is going to take the brunt of it.”

Three months into 2026, the economy lost approximately 95,000 jobs. However, despite representing 14 per cent of the labour force, young workers accounted for 53 per cent of those losses.

25-year-old Jayden Wight told CTV he spent months searching for stable work. “It’s definitely discouraging. You kind of feel like you’re not going to have a future in this country,” he said.

Opportunities for summer employment are also declining. Job postings in Canada were down 11 per cent at the end of March compared with a year earlier, according to Indeed, as per CBC.

Brendon Bernard, Indeed’s senior economist, told CBC that first jobs impart valuable skills, whether it's accountability or experience in a workplace dealing with co-workers.

“Even if they aren’t career-track jobs […] it’s time missed,” Bernard added. 

In response, the federal government announced on Apr. 20 in a news release that 100,000 job positions will be available for youth aged 15 to 30 to apply to through the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program. This is an increase from the 75,000 job openings offered by the CSJ in 2025. 

Since 2019, CSJ has created more than 460,000 job opportunities for youth by supporting employers, according to the federal government in a separate news release from June 6, 2025. The CSJ program is part of the Government of Canada’s $1.5 billion investment in youth employment programs, which aims to create 175,000 youth opportunities between 2026 and 2027. The 2026 CSJ program’s hiring period runs until July 20, with opportunities posted for Canadian youth on the Job Bank website and mobile app. 

“As young Canadians are working towards their future in difficult times, they will not be left behind,” said Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families, in the Apr. 20 news release. 

Furthermore, in the news release, Anna Gainey, Secretary of State for Children and Youth, said the program will help young people “explore career interests, earn income, and take important first steps towards high-paying, long-term careers.”