In 2020, the youth unemployment rate leapt to 20.1 per cent while the country’s overall unemployment rate climbed to a comparatively benign 7.8 per cent. No matter the decade or the state of the economy, experts agree that youth unemployment remains a thorny problem for Canada’s labour market. As of June, the youth unemployment rate was six per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels, the equivalent of roughly 150,000 people out of work. “The pandemic was a totally unique shock in that youth employment is especially concentrated in areas of the economy that were most impacted by COVID-19,” said Bernard. “Historically, youth employment used to typically bounce back shortly after recessions,” said Timothy Lang, president of Youth Employment Services.

Source: thestar July 27, 2021 21:45 UTC