The number of young people seeking work has risen while job opportunities for them have weakened, particularly in the retail sector and in accommodation and food services, a new study indicates.
Unemployment among those aged 15 to 24 has seen a decline from 14.6 percent last September to 12.6 percent in July, but the rate is still high compared with Canadians in other age groups, according to a study published by TD Bank on Aug. 12.
The youngest workers—teenagers aged 15 to 19—have been disproportionately affected by the currently weak job market, partly because of shrinking employment opportunities in sectors that traditionally employ younger workers.
Accommodation and food services and retail trade account for most of the decline in youth employment, with roughly 25,000 fewer young workers employed in the two industries than in 2019. Both are highly cyclical sectors that traditionally employ the highest concentration of young people. …