Canada’s youth are having trouble finding work, and ‘it might take a while’ before things get easier

More Albertans landed jobs in January, new Statistics Canada data suggests. Hannah Lepine has more.

Hundreds of people gathered at a Calgary job fair this week, many of them young job seekers, hoping face-to-face conversations with employers might lead to work in an increasingly competitive labour market.

Among those attending was 20-year-old Angelica Vidal, who said she has applied for more than 200 jobs over the past year without success.

“It’s been hard,” Vidal said. “I’m just hoping maybe one or two will interview me and give me a chance.”

Vidal said she applies for jobs almost every day, using online platforms such as LinkedIn and Glassdoor, but continues to face rejection, even for positions advertised as entry level.

“It’s bleak,” she said.

Organizations that work closely with job seekers say turnout at events like this reflects growing pressure in the labour market.

Job search taking longer: expert

The Immigrant Education Society (TIES), which hosted the Employer Appreciation & Youth Networking event, and helps connect employers with job seekers, said it is taking significantly longer for people to find work than it did just a few years ago.

The organization said it once took clients about two months to secure employment. That timeline has now tripled.

“We don’t see that it’s getting better,” said Mayssoun Hniedi, manager of employment and career development programs at TIES.

“I can see that it might take a while before things kind of stabilize.”

Hniedi said the slowdown is affecting not only experienced workers but also entry-level roles, positions young people typically rely on to gain experience.

She adds that employers could consider creating more pathways for young people who are struggling to get their first job.

“Maybe if you don’t have a job (for them), can you mentor, you provide an unpaid work experience?” said Hniedi.

Vidal said many employers now expect years of experience for basic jobs.

“Every other job is saying you need this many years of experience or you need to have that level of experience,” she said.

“But we’re not getting accepted at these very entry-level jobs. Where are we supposed to get this experience?”

Youth unemployment

Statistics Canada says the national unemployment rate fell 0.3 percentage points in January 2026, down from 6.8 per cent in December, as fewer people searched for work.

Youth unemployment (15 to 24 years old) also decreased, falling by half a percentage point to 12.8 per cent in January, as the number of employed youth was little changed and fewer searched for work. That number still regarded as elevated by experts, given the challenges young people face securing stable, full-time work.

“The unemployment rate for youth is double the national average. And it’s even harder for racialized youth,” said Hniedi.

Economists say young workers are facing heightened competition as hiring slows and displaced or underemployed workers move into roles traditionally filled by younger employees.

“It’s not that youth are just competing against themselves,” said Moshe Lander, an economist at Concordia University in Montreal.

“They’re also competing with low-skilled people who are having a hard time finding jobs and having to move down into jobs that would normally be taken up by teenagers or young people.”

Despite the competition, Vidal said she remains hopeful that meeting employers in person will eventually lead to an opportunity.