Welcome to the unofficial Canadian summer job program. The first (and only) step: getting ghosted by every prospective employer.
What happened: Young Canadians are struggling to find work in what’s become the worst summer job market in over two decades. According to new data from Indeed, job postings in early May were down 22% from last year.
- Last month, the unemployment rate for Canadians aged 15 to 24 surpassed 14%. For recent grads, it hit 11.2% in the first three months of 2025 — the highest rate in over 20 years outside of the pandemic.
Why it’s happening: The economy has slowed, population growth has outpaced new jobs (especially entry-level roles), and more businesses have frozen hiring due to tariff uncertainty. Put it all together, and you get a serious bottleneck at the bottom of the job market.
- With experienced workers forced to take more junior roles, young Canadians are getting squeezed out of those early career opportunities.
- Young people have also been disproportionately affected by the decline in promotions and a rise in involuntary part-time work, forcing many into jobs for which they’re overqualified.
Why it matters: Early job experience is a major indicator of future success. Economists have warned that this job drought could end up stunting the career growth of this generation.—LA