Tia Shaw, 15, has requested five jobs in Kamloops, BC, during the past week. His friend, Spade Luce, 16, has requested seven.
Neither of them has heard anything back.
“You introduce yourself and go with a curriculum and then ask to talk to the manager,” Luce said. “Many times they don’t call again.
“I think they could not be hiring. In my opinion, my curriculum is very professional and I have had multiple job experiences.”
They are not alone: youth employment continues to fall, according to Statistics Canada. His most recent survey showed that the employment rate in young people aged 15 to 24 fell 0.7 percentage points to 53.6 percent last month, the lowest since November 1998 (except 2020 and 2021 when the Covid-19 pandemic was in full force).
Vincent Ferraro, analyst at the Statistics Canada Labor Market Information Center, said industries such as retail trade, food services and hospitality show a particular “weak” in the labor market: all younger areas generally find work.
According to Janet Morrise-Reade, CEO of the Association of Services Suppliers for Employability and Professional Training BC, the last numbers are no surprise.
“The statistics are alarming,” he said. “What will be the impact on young people later, later on their work path?”
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Morris-Reade said that the pandemic drastically changed the labor market, and the uncertainty around tariffs has forced employers to make cuts and wait for hiring as a precaution.
“None of that is generating confidence, especially for young people who enter the workplace at this time.”
As a result, younger people do not have the necessary experience to get a job, but they will never get that experience if no one hires them to develop those skills.
“We listen to young people who request 100, 200 [jobs] And without having news of employers at all and not even receive any notification, much less an interview, ” said Morris-Reade.
“That is overwhelming of the soul for a whole generation.”
‘People don’t want to work’: Employer
Meanwhile, some employers say young people do not want to work.
“I am 36 years old, and I find that anyone around that generation or even the younger generation really does not want to work the hours that are needed, only in general, people do not want to work,” said Benny Kerner, owner of a Kamloop butcher shop.
He said he believes that workers only want enough money to get the day to day, and that they do not care to develop savings for the future.
The youth unemployment rate in Canada has reached 14.6 percent, the highest since September 2010, except for the years of Pandemia. But what is the solution? Liam Britten spoke with bosses, employment search engines and experts for their thoughts. Note: A banner in this story erroneously establishes that youth employment is high. It is intended to read that youth unemployment is high. An old title has been corrected with the same error.
What a person could achieve work in the minimum work salary in BC has changed dramatically in the last 30 years.
The minimum wage in the province is currently $ 17.85 per hour. The average cost of a house throughout the province In July It was $ 942,686, according to the BC Real Estate Association.
In July 1995, the The minimum wage was $ 6.50. The average cost of a house in BC, according to the federal government, was $ 190,371.
The minimum wage is 2.75 times higher than 30 years ago, but the cost of a house is almost five times higher.
Shane Wallace, the executive chef of Red Seal and owner of Four Wind’s Eatery in Malvinas, BC, agrees that the priorities of the youngest workers have changed. His children are working four days a week, instead of the five days he is accustomed.
“I never grew up that way, so I’m trying to understand it.”
He is struggling to find qualified workers for his restaurant. He said he received 38 curriculums in 24 hours, but none of them fulfilled his qualifications. They lacked experience and communication skills, Wallace said.
“What I am getting is almost a right, that you want them more than they want to have a job. They feel with the right to do not do something about the essence that is needed to do a job.”
Morris-Reade said that this type of complaints are nothing new.
“I think there is a disconnection between what employment applicants need and what employers need,” he said.
She reminds of employers that today’s young people were lost any education related to work during pandemic, things like ethics and work communication. But, said Morris-Reade, that should not dissuade employers to hire them. Instead, they could support and guide them.
“Yes, young people have a little risk of hiring, but I think that in my experience as an employer, hiring young people is really dynamic and can create an incredibly wonderful work environment for all who work in their organization.”
Kamloops has a lower general job in the country
Like young people from all over the country, Luce and Shaw face challenges that try to find a job. But it is even more difficult in cities like Kamloop, where they live; Kamloops has the highest unemployment rate in the country, sitting at 10.7 percent, according to the Statistics Canada survey.
This is in a marked contrast to the nearby Kelowna, BC, where the unemployment rate is 4.7 percent. The provincial unemployment rate is 5.9 percent, Ferraro said, while the national average was approximately 6.9 percent in July.
Ferraro said this could be for any number of reasons.
“People have to juggle with work balances, the balances of life, so some could not join the labor market because they could have to take care of family responsibilities, or they might want to be in full -time school. So, you know, there are all kinds of reasons why someone could not take a job immediately, but it is a time question.”
