Tough summer ahead: Fewer jobs available for Canadian youth this year

People attend a job and continuing education fair in Montreal, Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. (Christinne Muschi / The Canadian Press)

Canadian youth heading into summer are facing a chill in seasonal job searches as recently released data suggests a steep decline in postings traditionally aimed at students and entry-level workers.

According to Indeed Hiring Lab, which examined job postings on its host website, Indeed.com, their numbers revealed that as of early May, Canadian summer job postings were down 22 per cent compared to last year.

Brendan Bernard, senior economist with Indeed Hiring Lab, told CTV’s Your Morning on May 30 what’s driving this downturn.

“We’re seeing a real pullback in hiring appetite since the pandemic,” he said, adding that what was once a job seeker’s market in 2022 has transformed into a challenging landscape for employment, particularly for younger workers.

The slowdown is backed by Statistics Canada’s April 2025 Labour Force Survey, which shows that youth aged 15 to 24 experienced a net employment loss of 28,000 jobs in April alone, with most of those losses concentrated among young women and in part-time roles.

According to StatCan, the youth unemployment rate sat at 11.3 per cent in April, up from 10.4 per cent the previous month. Their data also revealed that 14.1 per cent of youth within this age group were without work in April, which is more than double the Canada-wide unemployment rate of 6.9 per cent.

Sectors hit hard

According to Indeed’s data, postings in early May were down 32 per cent compared to 2024 for summer camp roles, including counsellors, managers and leads, which accounts for 10 to 15 per cent of summer postings.

Other jobs like painters, lifeguards and customer service representatives also saw a dip in the same time period as 2024.

“The Canadian youth job market has been weakening pretty steadily over the past two years, and so we need a turnaround in the economy to get things goings,” Bernard said.

But Bernard says there may not be a turnaround anytime soon, with more students off and looking for work.

Data showed that while the number of people aged between 15 and 24 employed in July 2024 was roughly the same as the year before, the employment rate dropped. That’s because the population in that age group grew by 7.2 per cent, but job growth didn’t keep pace.

The job market is experiencing what Bernard describes as a “traffic jam” of employment opportunities, as experienced workers are holding onto seasonal roles and not jumping at the next opportunity, while new entrants struggle to find their first foothold.

A recent report from CTV Toronto captures the human toll as several Ontario youth describe applying to dozens of jobs with no callbacks, while others said they lowered their expectations or took unpaid positions just to gain experience. One youth described it as a “make-or-break summer.”

Hope for the future

Despite the challenging landscape, Bernard offers some advice.

“A down summer job market doesn’t mean no summer job market,” he emphasized, suggesting that job seekers should ask themselves what they want out of a job.

“What’s the goal for this job search and what kind of job both fits the person’s interests and skills? What are you good at?” he said, adding that he encourages job seekers to explore job search platforms and learn on their personal networks – like friends, classmates and family – not just to find openings but to gather advice and insights.

If landing a job proves difficult, he suggests using the time to build valuable experience in other ways, such as volunteering and learning new skills.

With files from CTV Toronto’s Alex Arsenych