Youth

Youth Unemployment

What does this measure?

The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed persons expressed as a percentage of the labour force. The unemployment rate for a particular group (e.g. age) is the number of unemployed in that group expressed as a percentage of the labour force for that group.

Why does it matter?

The Conference Board of Canada states that the unemployment rate measures economic disadvantage and hardship. Furthermore, high unemployment hurts a community’s labour productivity and economic growth. High unemployment is also linked to elevated rates of poverty, homelessness, income inequality, crime, poor health outcomes, low self-esteem, and social exclusion.

Although many suggest that the age range of 15 – 24 is too broad to study youth unemployment since it includes both high school students and recent post-secondary graduates, the Conference Board does suggest that the changing nature of work creates additional challenges for young Canadians who are already experiencing suboptimal labour market outcomes. Precarious youth employment is on the rise, as jobs for young people are increasingly contractual or temporary. The challenges are more urgent and more complicated yet for vulnerable youth, including rural, remote and low-income youth, Indigenous youth, youth with disabilities, LGBTQ2S and racialized youth and newcomers to Canada.

How are Hastings and Prince Edward Counties doing?

In general, although youth unemployment changes with the economic tides, it is similar in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties (HPEC) as in Ontario. In 2016, youth unemployment among individuals aged 15-19 was 17% in HPECand 21% in Ontario. Using the broader age group of 15-29, the unemployment rate was 17% in HPEC and 18% in Ontario. For more information, see the Labour and Employment page of the interactive Economy and Economic Security dashboard.