Trying to find a job as a young person in Canada right now can be rough as Canada’s youth unemployment rate sits above 14% according to Statistic Canada.
Over 50,000 job seekers attended the annual CNE job fair this year with many young applicants highlighting just how hard it is to find a job in this competitive market.
The fair took place at the Enercare Centre at Toronto’s Exhibition place and according to the CNE this year’s fair broke record numbers with nearly 54,000 people applying to jobs online for the first time in history
With youth unemployment rates sitting at just above 14% many young people are struggling just to land an interview. And for teens between the ages of 14 and 19, nearly 1 in 4 are currently unemployed. The result? A mad dash for jobs.
We hit up the CNE job fair and spoke to young job hunters who say they have been endlessly applying, only to be ghosted or flat-out rejected.
“I’ve been going to job fair after job fair. There’s so many people in the same room it’s just very scary, very overwhelming.” One teen said.
Eighteen-year-old Moiz M. said that he arrived at the job fair at 6:00 a.m. to be at the front of the line, with hopes of securing a job after searching all summer.
“Me and my friend have been out every day at malls, sometimes they don’t even take our resumes,” he said.
Another teen Dara Hosein was filled with joy as she left with a job in the games department, however, it came after a long search.
“The search has been hard,” she said. “I’ve been searching since I was 14, this is my first time getting a job that’s not just a one day thing,” she said.
The CNE is hiring for all kinds of roles from game attendants to food vendors, retail staff, and more. With the CNE running from August 15 to September 1, thousands of positions are still up for grabs. And for many youth, it’s not just about earning some summer cash, it’s about getting a foot in the door in a job market that feels stacked against them.
