World Education Services (WES) is a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to helping international students, immigrants, and refugees achieve their educational and career goals in the United States and Canada. The weekly roundup includes research, stories, and events of interest to the Canadian immigration and settlement community. This content has been created by WES and is reproduced here with their permission, in partnership.
Young people face new challenges in the job market as youth unemployment soars (CBC News)
Youth unemployment has reached its highest rate in 15 years. Latest figures from the Labour Force Survey indicate that unemployment levels for people aged 15-24 have risen to 14.6 percent; reflecting the steepest climb since 2010 – excluding the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the most affected, includes high school-aged youth who are experiencing an unemployment rate of 31.4 percent and immigrant youth at 22.8 percent. Economists have pointed to conditions such as elevated costs of living, increased minimum wages, and an influx of temporary residents accessing lower-wage roles, as contributors to the tense labour market. Currently there are fewer job opening than jobseekers, especially for entry-level positions. For many young people, this means being overlooked by potential employers due to limited practical experience that would set them up for long-term success. Failure to address rising unemployment, Canada risks a projected shortfall of 18.5 billion in GDP by 2034. Future-proofing Canada’s emerging labour force means investing in expanded social capital and professional skills development; incentivizing hiring young talent; addressing systemic biases and discrimination; and including young people in shaping and evaluating employment policies.
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Drastic shifts to admission targets for temporary residents and other snap policy changes indicate that Canada’s “welcoming” approach to immigration may be transitioning towards restriction and exclusion. According to Dr. Yvonne Su, this narrative of exclusion is reflected in heightened negative sentiment – often fueled by disinformation around international students despite the range of socio-economic issues they face in Canada. Further exploration into elevated rejection rates in several applicant categories including international students and Express Entry candidates illustrates racial and regional biases in decision-making processes. Canada’s longstanding reputation of openness to immigration is now being questioned. If Canada’s immigration system is to be preserved, a greater focus on fairness is the first step. This should include transparent, disaggregated data on refusal statistics, clear communication with applicants, efficient accountability measures and public discourse that recognizes the human side of immigration.
As Canada reduces immigration, francophones settling outside Quebec are an exception (CBC News)
Prime Minister Carney’s election platform promised to increase French immigration to 12 percentof all permanent residents (outside of Quebec) by 2029. This is a considerable jump from Canada’s previous goal (4.4 per cent) which has taken nearly two decades to reach. Consequently, this has resulted in a further decline of French speakers throughout the country. In 2024, the federal government reached 7.2 percent of French speaking permanent resident admissions, however, many Francophone advocates argue that the government can do more. While IRCC has increasingly placed emphasis on Francophone draws, the department of Official Languages emphasizes that sustained efforts are needed to promote, integrate, and retain Francophone immigrants to their ambitious goals. Additional resources for services and supports, dedicated timelines, and a coordinated effort with IRCC are required to boost the Francophone community outside Quebec.
Who Owns Canada’s Labour Data? (Hint: Not Canada) (The Walrus)
According to advocates, Canada needs a brand refresh when it comes to providing and accessing labour market data. At a time when Canada's workforce in under unprecedented strain, transparent, accurate, and readily available information is more crucial than ever. This has also renewed calls for more ownership and sovereignty over data, allowing Canadian companies, to produce, disseminate, and maintain data on statistics that are relevant to the country; following a similar model that exists in other OECD nations. In supporting open access to labour market intelligence, Canada is better equipped with the data needed to address workforce concerns and bolster its talent pipelines.
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