School’s out, summer’s here and the living should be easy. But many Canadian students are singing the blues: They’re still jobless, and it’s already July.
Laura McEwan, 17, is one of those desperately seeking a summer job. She has been hunting for over a month but has been turned away by employers who say they’ve already completed their summer hiring or have an abundance of more experienced applicants. “It’s really frustrating not knowing where to go from here and to keep trying to stay positive,” she said.
The latest youth employment numbers don’t offer much solace: Despite the overall unemployment rate falling to its lowest level in May, the jobless rate for those aged 15 to 24 was 13.9 per cent.
Some few youth-centric organizations are trying to ease the job anxiety. Youth Employment Services in Toronto offers job counselling, training and work placement opportunities as well as a special summer job service. Nancy Schaefer, president of the not-for-profit organization, said students should have started looking for work in March or April.
“We would never tell a young person that it’s hopeless,” she added, saying that those who aren’t picky can typically find some sort of short-term seasonal work if they look hard enough. The organization also helps young entrepreneurs start their own summer business.
“Young people don’t know that there are services available in their communities,” she said. “If they’ve taken that step to reach out and get help, then we reward them.”
Calgary’s Youth Employment Centre offers similar services and has already dealt with many lamenting a lack of desirable employment – a complaint that’s countered with the argument that “any job is a good job.”
“It gives you skills, transferable skills that you can use in any workplace,” said Leita Blasetti, the centre’s community relations liaison, who adds that youth could enrich their experience by volunteering for different tasks or taking on extra responsibility. “Make the most of it, get a good reference and a good experience out of it.”
Whether it’s a volunteer experience, or a travel opportunity, he advises developing a collection of narratives that help build credibility as a well-rounded professional. Those stories can find a place on a résumé or in a job interview and could help rank one applicant higher than another.
The Canadian Press
