Thousands of young Torontonians struggling to find work were surveyed about their experiences. Here is what they said

A young person checks out postings on a job board in this undated photo.

Toronto’s young people are struggling to gain access to meaningful, gainful employment, say those behind a city-wide postcard initiative that surveyed more than 7,000 students.

Today, youth, community, and civic leaders gathered at Toronto City Hall to officially launch the Toronto Youth Employment Postcard Report, which is the culmination of a year-long campaign that has mobilized youth from every city ward and close to 100 sector partners.

Those behind the initiative say their efforts helped secure Toronto City Council’s approval this past February of a motion to create 10,000 additional youth jobs by the summer of 2026 through a Toronto Youth Employment Program. The push continues for this program to come to fruition.

The youth-driven policy document, which was developed by The Neighbourhood Group Community Services in collaboration with youth leaders, reiterates their calls for “bold investments in youth employment as a pathway to address both economic insecurity and rising youth violence.”

“The need for such a Toronto youth employment program has been a growing concern among the youth in our city for many years,” Laura Vu, the Toronto Youth Cabinet’s equity and employment lead, said during a news conference.

“Throughout my involvement with this campaign, I have had the opportunity to engage with young people across the city on their experiences with employment. We collected thousands of postcards, each detailing a young person’s challenges and barriers towards employment, but also their hopes and dreams.”

Ontario’s unemployment rate among those 15 to 24 years old hit 15.8 per cent in June, which was approximately double the overall unemployment rate in the province, according to Statistics Canada data.

Vu said among the personal experiences shared in the postcard campaign, several participants outlined the challenges they’ve faced in securing a job with many applications made and few responses received.

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Heather McDonald, the CEO and president of United Way Greater Toronto, said young people want to work and employers across the city need talent.

“When we connect to those two things, the whole city benefits, and without a deliberate workforce development strategy, we risk a generation of lost opportunities. Graduates will step into a market they’re not prepared for. Roles will take longer to fill, and every sector will suffer,” she said.

“A paid meaningful job means a path to financial independence, help for your family, a path to education, a path to future. And many of these students linked work to skills, confidence and direction and they called for a summer youth employment program to make those opportunities real.

McDonald also noted that youth surveyed expressed experiencing “barriers, identity-based hurdles like age or race or both, a lack of experience, job shortages, logistics like transit.”

Scarborough Southwest Coun. Parthu Kandavel, who introduced the 10,000 youth jobs motion late last year, said there is a clear “relationship between the spike in youth gun violence and the lack of employment.”

“Employment provides belonging. It provides meaning. It provides purpose,” he said.

“Just yesterday, in Scarborough, not too far from my ward, a 14-year-old was involved in the shooting that shut down a busy Lawrence Avenue at the height of rush hour.”

Toronto City Council set to revisit the 10,000 youth jobs motion this fall.

Statistics Canada has said that they youth unemployment rate remains significantly above the pre-pandemic average of 10.8 per cent recorded between 2017 and 2019.

Last month, the Canadian National Exhibition said that it received 54,000 online applications for 5,000 temporary positions.

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‘This isn’t about a lack of effort,’ says Ontario NDP MPP

Two Ontario NDP MPPs say young people in this province are “ready to work, but the government is failing them.”

“This isn’t about a lack of effort,” University-Rosedale MPP Jessica Bell said in an Aug. 7 news release.

“Were hearing from young people who are applying for hundreds of jobs and never hearing back. They want to work and contribute, but can’t find real pathways into steady jobs, they’re being left behind.”

Bell serves as the party’s shadow minister for finance and the treasure board.

In the release, Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife said Ontario’s next generation deserves the same opportunities to build a future like their parents did, adding what’s needed is a youth employment strategy that sets young people up for success.

“The future of our province depends on it,” said Fife, who is the Ontario NDP’s the shadow minister for economic development, job creation, and trade.

“Young people are doing everything they can to build a future, but they keep hitting wall after wall. They are dealing with unaffordable housing, rising costs, cuts to education and training, and now they can’t even find work.”

Calling the situation “frustrating,” she said the youth unemployment reality in Ontario is a “sign that something is seriously wrong.”

“This is a crisis. If no action is taken, there is a huge risk of losing a generation of true potential. Ontario needs to step up with affordable housing, rent control, investment in training and education, and better access to good jobs,” Fife said.

“Young people are not asking for handouts. They are asking for a fair change. It’s time this government listened.”