Young people in British Columbia are encountering the most competitive summer job market in years, with businesses holding back on seasonal hiring due to economic uncertainty. Full-time staff are clinging to hours instead of taking vacations, leaving no openings for student workers for the first time in 25 years. Province-wide, the youth unemployment rate has jumped from 10.5% to 16.6%—the highest increase in Canada. Experts say the problem stems in part from a shrinking private sector, while the public sector has grown by over 30% in the past eight years. Without renewed focus on private sector job creation, many fear young people will leave the province for better opportunities. As competition rises and jobholders stay put, businesses are reluctant to take hiring risks, tightening an already limited market.
B.C. youth face the harshest summer job market in decades
