The search for the perfect job is on for many young people, but whether they’re searching for full-time work or the right fit for the summer, those looking to break into the job market are often struggling to get hired. A new report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) finds a disconnect between applicants and employers at every stage of the hiring process. According to the CFIB report, the disconnect starts off during the job search process, but once the job is secured, there’s challenges around expectations. Ember, a small business in Ottawa, is seeing plenty of interest for jobs in their restaurant and lounge. “I probably have 500 resumes on my desk at any given time,” said Cody Nicoll, managing partner at Ember and co-owner of Bar Ocelli. Nicoll says there can be challenges hiring people who are starting out in the hospitality business. “I think that there’s just maybe a need to temper expectations a little bit,” Nicoll said. “I think sometimes with the younger generation, there can be an expectation to kind of move up in the world a little bit faster than might be realistic.” One area where the CFIB report found a disconnect is pay. “Pay is a notable mismatch,” said Bérengère Fouqueray, a bilingual research analyst at the CFIB. “Youth come in with unrealistic pay. Also, small businesses said that they prioritize soft skills: reliability, showing up on time, being able to communicate with colleagues and customers.” During challenging times, business owners say the expectations can be higher than the current situation. “It’s a little tight financially, especially with all the labour costs,” said Nour Sakhniya, a manager at Mr. Fez restaurant. “People with no experience, we do pay them minimum wage, and I guess a lot of people have expectations that it should be $20, $21 or $22.” While Aleena Khan already has a part-time job, she’s searching for a second job to make ends meet. “Sometimes it’s really difficult to balance your hours and everything because one week you will have enough hours to pay your rent and the second week you won’t have any hours,” Khan said. Khan says she feels she needs a reference to get in the door, a finding that the CFIB report supports. “Businesses rely a lot more on personal connections because it’s a good way to pre-vet people and ensure reliability,” said Fouqueray. When hiring youth, the CFIB says small businesses rank soft skills like a positive attitude, motivation, and professionalism above credentials and education. The importance of soft skills is an idea that managers Nicoll and Sakhniya echoed. “The most important thing is reliability and attitude,” said Nicoll. “If they can show up on time and they can come in with a great attitude and be willing to work hard and to learn every single day.” “I look at the personality,” said Sakhniya. “Someone who is willing to learn and they are willing to work hard.”
