Report suggests Alberta youth suffering from mental health challenges because of employment

Alberta youth are suffering increased mental health challenges related to employment and unemployment, new data indicates.

The report, by Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) in partnership with GreenShield, says 82 per cent of Alberta youth aged 16 to 29 report negative mental health impacts from employment or unemployment.

Sixty-three per cent of Alberta youth said they are working the schedule they want to be – the lowest in the entire country.

“(This) confirms that today’s affordability pressures and instability are taking a measurable toll on youth mental health, with 82 per cent of Canadian youth feeling stressed and anxious about the future of their career,” officials said in a news release on Wednesday.

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MHRC says youth mental distress is highest in Ontario, where 85 per cent of young people are anxious about their short-term financial future.

Eighty-three percent of B.C. youth are struggling according to the data.

The MHRC data also found that women are more likely than men to admit they are financially strained, especially when it comes to paying bills (51 per cent women, 41 per cent men) and affordability of essentials (49 per cent of women and 36 per cent of men).

Only 16 per cent of women feel financially stable, officials say.

The MHRC said the research identified a clear need for more care for Canadian youth.

“Youth identified cost (52 per cent) as the leading barrier to accessing care, followed by long wait times (45 per cent) and challenges finding the right support (41 per cent). According to MHRC’s mixed-method study, these barriers appear to persist in part due to limited efforts to fully understand and address the underlying factors that prevent youth from accessing care.”

The survey was conducted on a sample of 2,745 Canadians aged 16 and older from Sept. 11 to 21, 2025. Of the respondents, 2,213 were youth aged 16 to 29.

The results have a margin of error of +/- 1.87 points, 19 times out of 20.