Youth unemployment rising

Statistics Canada is reporting the unemployment rate for youth was 16.7% in July, while the unemployment rate for the general population for this area was 4.5%.

The unemployment rate for youth in the 15 to 24 age range in the Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge area has been steadily climbing over the past year.

Carol Simpson, Executive Director of Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin, explains “Although we have fewer young people in this age group, more of them were actively looking for employment during the month of July.

“This influx of unemployed youth to the labour force increases the unemployment rate but it also swells the pool of potential workers to local businesses looking to hire.”

According to Simpson, local industries such as manufacturing, retail, health care and transportation are currently looking for entry level workers across a broad range of occupations.

“Understanding where the jobs are will help match youth to these local employment opportunities.

“There are many free services in the community under the Employment Ontario umbrella which offer supports to the unemployed to assist in their job search or links to training/upgrading opportunities.”