Lukas Short, 16, doesn't want to be a statistic.
The Grade 12 student from Rutland Secondary School knows the youth unemployment rate in BC is a sky-high 12% and he does not want to be part of that percentage.
The overall unemployment rate in the province is 5.9%, so youth are more than twice worse off on the job search.
"I'm trying to be proactive," said Short.
"I know it's tough to find a job and employers aren't really hiring. I know lots of people who have been looking for a long time with no success."
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So, for the first six weeks of his Grade 12 year, Short is taking the Southern Interior YMCA's Jumpstart program for 16 to 30 year olds who want help with job readiness and job search.
Just as its name indicates, the course gives youth a jump start with six certifications and job finding tips galore.
The six certifications are: First Aid, First Aid Mental Health, SuperHost, Foodsafe, World Host and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System.
Short was pretty happy with his summer employment, working full-time at Real Canadian Superstore as a cashier and clerk.
"But, I want to move out of grocery store work and get trade work and land an electrician apprenticeship," he explained.
"I know that's going to be hard in the current job market so I'm doing Jumpstart and when I go back to RSS (Rutland Secondary School) I'll take the electrical and carpentry trades classes."
Youth jobless rate could be even higher
Cassandra Thomas oversees Jumpstart as the Southern Interior YMCA general manager of youth, family and community services.
"I think the youth unemployment rate is more like 16%, the highest it's been since the 2007-09 recession," said Thomas.
"Youth are definitely challenged in finding meaningful work."
Meaningful work, of course, is individual.
For a 16-year-old it might be a first, entry-level job that pays minimum wage and provides a foot in the working world and some spending money.
For a 30-year-old it might be the continuation of a professional career that uses all their hard and soft skills.
"Regardless of age and position, 'meaningful' jobs provide a sense of belonging, of having a positive impact and using your skills to shine," explained Thomas.
With the youth unemployment rate so high, Thomas would like to see both the federal and provincial governments funding more youth employment services like job readiness and job search.
Is immigration the problem, or not?
Thomas doesn't see immigration as the cause for high youth unemployment.
"There are critical labour shortages in essential and front line services and trades locally and across BC," she pointed out.
"Newcomers have helped fill these growing gaps, often starting businesses and contributing to economic growth, complementing the domestic workforce and not replacing youth’s place in the local labour market. Youth are seeking jobs that align with their passions, education level, career goals, and flexible hours. Youth unemployment is linked to lack of experience, limited access to networks, lack of experience navigating available labour market opportunities, and mismatched education/job opportunities. These challenges are not caused by newcomers entering the labour force, but by broader issues."
Conservatives demand an end to the temporary foreign worker program
The federal Official Opposition Conservative Party disagrees.
“It’s time to take decisive action to protect our youth and workers," said Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
“That’s why the government should immediately stop issuing new TFW (temporary foreign worker) permits, and end this wage-suppressing, opportunity-stealing program.”
In fact, Poilievre wants the temporary foreign worker program permanently scrapped.
Poilievre complains that, under the Liberals, too many corporations are relying on cheap foreign labour at the expense of Canadian workers.
He cites that while youth search for jobs, the market is oversaturated with foreign workers willing to work for less, leading the suppressed wages, even for the gainfully employed.
Poilievre singled out Tim Hortons as a once-beloved coffee shop that gave teens their first paycheques that is now hiring an "unimaginable" number of temporary foreign workers.
“We know why a foreign-owned mega chain wants to be greedy – it’s good for their corporate profits – but our immigration system doesn’t exist to pad their bottom line,” Poilievre said.
Conservative shadow minister for immigration, Calgary Nose Hill MP Michelle Rempel Garner, has also weighed in.
“As Canada’s economy slides into recession, productivity hits rock bottom, and AI disrupts the job market - all while we grapple with housing and healthcare crises - Canadian youth are trapped,” she said.
“They can’t buy homes or start families without good-paying jobs, but they can’t get those jobs without experience, lost to competition from temporary foreign labour.”
The Conservatives said while the overall temporary foreign worker program should be abolished, a separate, stand-alone temporary foreign worker program could be set up for legitimately difficult-to-fill agricultural labour, such as the Mexicans and Jamaicans who help Okanagan orchardists.
Provincial solutions
A statement from the BC Ministry of Jobs and Economic Growth said: "We know that young people are facing real challenges in today’s job market across Canada, and we are working hard to address this. That’s why our government is investing in skills training, more post secondary opportunities and programs that connect young people with good-paying jobs close to home. We’re also working with businesses to create more opportunities in growing sectors like tech, health care, and clean energy as part of a sustainable economy that creates good jobs for British Columbians."
The provincial government pointed out a number of ways youth can search and land jobs:
- plan studies and careers through EducationPlannerBC
- access up to $3,500 in short-term training support with the StrongerBC Future Skills Grant
- get help with longer programs through StudentAid BC
- get help with longer programs through StudentAid BC
- go to one of the 102 WorkBC Employment Centres across the province for free employment services (over the last year, 31,460 young people accessed these services)
Businesses can also access the Employer Training Grant program, which provides them with funding to support skills training for their workforces, including prospective new hires.
Employers can apply as often as they need and receive 80 per cent of the cost of training up to $10,000 per employee, with a maximum annual amount per employer of $300,000.
