Young Canadians don’t have access to the vital work experience they
need to thrive
Our new report Facing Challenges, Finding Opportunity: Young People in Canada Navigating a New Employment Reality is the second yearly report with findings from the Young People & Economic Inclusion Longitudinal Study.
This unique study is a trendsetter for social impact measurement:
- It is longitudinal and over 32,000 young people have opted into the study to date.
- It allows for comparisons with the Canadian population through the Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey (LFS).
- It has been developed in consultation with the Youth & Innovation Project’s Youth Advisory Council, a Longitudinal Study Partner Advisory Council, and with insight from several of our colleagues at the University of Waterloo, including from the Work-Learn Institute, the Canadian Index of Wellbeing and Waterloo Institute for Complexity & Innovation.
The study aims to understand how youth employment programs shape long-term outcomes of young Canadians in education, work experience and well-being.
Key findings
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Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunities have stagnated at pre-pandemic levels. Given recent investments, we expected to see significant increases in WIL opportunities rather than stagnation. Concerningly, this year we also saw a 9% decrease in the number of these opportunities that were paid.
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Young people have limited access to on-the-job training and professional development. Among those who did take part in training (only slightly over half), about one in three spent 10 hours or less on it over the past year. Given the importance of professional development in career advancement, these low numbers are of concern.
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The early career gender pay gap persists, women continue to be overrepresented in the lowest earning categories.
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Young immigrants and international students are highly educated but face barriers matching their qualifications to employment opportunities in Canada.
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Age is the strongest indicator as to whether someone is thriving at work. Adults aged 35 and older report the highest levels of thriving with levels decreasing across younger age groups.
What employers, policymakers, funders and those who run
youth employment programs can do:
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Significantly expand access to paid Work-Integrated Learning, on-the-job training and professional development to ensure young people gain vital work experience.
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Pay equitable living wages especially to young women and for internship and co-op roles.
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Recognize international credentials and create clear pathways for young immigrants and international students to transition into the workforce.
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Foster intergenerational collaboration and recognize the value of young people’s ideas and actions to ensure they are thriving at work.
Youth employment is not a youth issue; it is an issue that affects all Canadians. Investing in young people today is essential to building a resilient, inclusive, and innovative economy and to protecting Canada’s sovereignty. This report is an urgent call to action for employers, policymakers, those who run youth employment programs and funders outlining what they can do to ensure young people succeed.
The Young People and Economic Inclusion longitudinal study is funded by the RBC Foundation.