unemployment – The Concordian

Concordia student forced to leave Canada after losing hours at his workplace

Quebec’s economy is gradually recovering from the damage brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the most recent Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada, the province had 77,000 more people employed in September than in August.

Canada’s unemployment rate was 9.0 per cent in September, dropping by 1.2 percentage points since August. A similar situation is happening in Quebec, where the unemployment rate fell from 8.7 to 7.4 per cent over the same time period.

Despite a gradual improvement, young people still feel the impact of mass layoffs during the pandemic, more so than any other age group. Quebec youth aged 15 to 24 had a 13.1 per cent unemployment rate in September, compared to just 6.8 per cent in February before the spread of COVID-19.

José Morales, an Industrial Engineering student at Concordia University, has personally felt the effect of unemployment caused by the pandemic. In the summer of 2020, he was working full-time at the Foamextra factory, which manufactures polyurethane foam products. In September, however, his employment situation took a turn for the worse.

“The factory didn’t need me as a full-time worker anymore, so they cut my hours to a bare minimum. They’re concerned about health risks as we enter the second wave — and that’s understandable — but I really needed those hours,” said Morales.

The engineering student could not find a job in the restaurant industry either, as all dining rooms remain closed in Montreal amid the current red zone restrictions. His only other option was to book a flight home to El Salvador.

Morales explained, “I had to leave the country since I couldn’t support myself anymore. Barely working part-time at the factory wouldn’t cover for my living costs, let alone my tuition fees. It’s unfortunate how much uncertainty the pandemic has added to the Canadian job market.”

In fact, young people are particularly vulnerable to pandemic-related restrictions because of their role in the job market. According to the Youth Employment in Canada government report in 2016, 33.7 per cent of workers aged 15 to 29 were working in retail, hospitality, and food service sectors, compared to just to 13.4 per cent of workers aged 30 and over.

Therefore, it has been particularly difficult for younger employees to find employment during the past few months, as Quebec’s shops, restaurants, and bars started to close or operate at limited capacity.

Meanwhile, the province’s educational services industry witnessed encouraging results in September. That month, it had 23,900 more workers employed compared to August, representing the highest increase out of all the industries in Quebec.

This growth was partly driven by the return of students to school classrooms at the start of the new academic year. Unlike universities and CEGEPs, elementary and secondary schools are largely staying open in Quebec. As a result, higher staffing levels are required to support in-person instruction.

Overall, the province’s unemployment rate is gradually returning to its pre-pandemic levels, showing signs of recovery following a record-high rate of 17 per cent in March. However, the impact of COVID-19 on Canada’s unemployment is still far from over, especially for university students.

Graphic by @the.beta.lab

Think you’re going to get a job after university? Think again.

As another university semester gets into gear, some of us find ourselves just starting a degree, while others are just on the verge of completing one. For everyone though, one thing is on all our minds; employment.

We are all familiar with the infamous catch-22 of being unable to find a job because of a lack of work experience and being unable to acquire such experience because jobs are unobtainable.

Now, Statistics Canada is reporting that the unemployment rate for people aged 15-24 is 14.8 per cent, more than double the 7.3 per cent for the nation as a whole.

Before we pull the fire alarm, however, let us take a look at the overall situation. According to the International Labour Organization, the global rate of youth unemployment is approximately 12.7 per cent, while it is about 17.5 per cent in developed economies. Canada is actually in an enviable position, especially compared to many countries in Europe.

These rates are expected to decrease by a couple of percentage points in the next five years, but should still remain far higher than the rates in 2007 before the economic crisis struck.

As the youth become more and more disillusioned by the current and future job market, what can be done to remedy the situation?

The prevailing belief is that getting a degree, whether undergraduate or graduate, is no longer enough to get one’s foot in the door, as all job applicants possess that same piece of paper.

However, there is much more to pursuing a degree in higher education that goes beyond school work. There are hidden perks to coughing up those tuition fees. So many resources are available exclusively to university students and can give them the edge required to get a job.

Concordia has an array of co-op programs which allow students to gain work experience as they complete their degree, giving them a more rounded resumé once they graduate.

For example, the Concordia Volunteer Abroad Program allows students to do summer internships in Uganda for two months and only pay for their flights and vaccines. Programs such as these are invaluable in getting experience that separate oneself from the rest of the field. John Molson School of Business’ Career Management Services provides various services such as résumé writing and interview workshops.

These tools and many more can be used by students to make them more competitive in the job market. That said, the government also has a responsibility of ensuring that more youth are able to get jobs.

Job creation must be a greater priority and can be implemented by funding training programs, giving tax breaks to employers who hire youth, and supporting young entrepreneurs.

Ultimately, it is in developed nations’ best interest to increase youth employment opportunities since strong earnings in the long-term are only possible if careers are long-lasting. As baby boomers reach the age of retirement, this is certainly something for society to think about.