Youth unemployment surges as Regina students struggle to find jobs

REGINA — Youth unemployment is rising in Canada, with cities like Regina seeing this trend.

Per Bloomberg data, Canada’s youth unemployment rate soared to 14.2 per cent as of June 26. 

Statistics Canada also reported a slow start for students looking for summer jobs, recording a 20.1 per cent unemployment rate among returning students aged 15 to 24.

SaskToday spoke to a 22-year-old student at the University of Regina, who's been looking for employment for a while now.

“I was applying for chief jobs, sending resumes and received no responses. I eventually gave up on that." 

The student said he explored working options on campus, but mentioned that those are limited and competitive.

“It’s frustrating, and the money would go a long way in helping with my program fees.”

Larry Mueller, consultant with Express Employment Professionals, said the employment agency sees dozens of youth every day and hundreds weekly looking for work.

“The issues they’re having are unskilled labour or limited experience,” he said.

Mueller also said employers have set expectations, and those under 24 typically don’t match the skills or experience needed.

“The majority of these companies are looking for construction labour, warehouse labour, building labour, etc., as opposed to office or administration for this age range,” he said.

One point Mueller made is that youth should put more time into their resumes.

“People should use resources to draft a resume that shows their skills and experience, even if the work was for two weeks.“

As for the student, he will continue to explore his options, he said, hoping he can land somewhere.