Still can't find a summer job? Why experts say it's ‘brutal out there'

Global News

22-05-2025

Summer is just around the corner, and for many young Canadians struggling to find a job, this year may be one of the most challenging.
In recent months, many age groups and sectors have found it difficult to land a job, but younger workers seeking seasonal positions or their first job after graduating are among those getting hit the hardest.
'Amidst tariffs and the extreme uncertainty that many (businesses) feel, it is absolutely brutal out there,' public policy expert Vass Bednar says.
2:57
Implications of the U.S.-China trade agreement for the Canadian economy
Why is this year different?
The trade war brought on by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policies has led many Canadian companies to dial back plans as they brace for expected rising costs.
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This also means hiring fewer new workers, and some have actually started laying off employees.
'As of early May, which is right around the time when seasonal job postings peak in Canada, summer job postings on Indeed were down 22 per cent from a year earlier,' says senior economist Brendon Bernard at job search company Indeed.
'There are only a few areas of the economy where job postings still significantly exceed their pre-pandemic level. Most are kind of in the ballpark of where they were in early 2020, with a few areas quite weaker. That tells me that there's a link between what's going on in the macro economy that spills over into demand for seasonal workers too.'
The retail sector typically hires more workers during the summer for seasonal positions, which may include students. However, this year, many retailers are scaling back plans to hire more workers in order to stay afloat financially.
'Retailers, especially those that rely on imported goods — they face higher costs. Many could delay hiring plans amid that uncertainty as the trade strain may contribute to rising prices, potentially even product shortages,' says Santo Ligotti at the Retail Council of Canada.
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'I think an employer right now can afford to be picky in hiring. They know plenty of applicants, really of all ages, are vying for each opening.'
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Larger retailers are already warning customers that prices will start to rise as a direct result of tariffs, and this trend will likely be seen with many smaller retailers as well if they have imported goods from the United States or China, for instance.
'It could cause Canadians to cut back on retail, and I think restaurant spending. They're worried about higher prices and so consumers are monitoring their spending and therefore retailers may have to hold back in terms of their hiring needs in the summer,' Ligotti says.
It may be even more challenging to find work with smaller fashion and apparel retailers following the closure of Hudson's Bay stores across Canada, Ligotti says.
'There are 9,000 employees now entering the labour market who worked in some capacity at the Hudson's Bay Company and they're going to be vying for positions across all different sectors of retail, but especially in fashion apparel.'
4:34
Hudson's Bay finds a buyer for its brand trademarks. Will the sale diminish the brand's consumer appeal?
What does this mean for young Canadian workers?
For many young Canadians looking for work, there may be more at stake than just finding a way to get a steady paycheque.
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Not being able to find rewarding and stable employment can also have lasting emotional impacts, especially for students and recent graduates.
'When people are firing out 100, 200, 300, 400 cover letters and CVs and never really hearing back, even that the position has been filled, it does start to colour and characterize their relationship to work and pursuing work and their motivation,' Bednar says.
'If we forget about young people's early employment prospects or just treat them as a casualty of economic uncertainty, I think we are going to scar this subset of the labour market quite early in a way that can be dangerous and alienating.'
2:52
Mark Carney sworn in as MP for Nepean riding
How is the government responding?
The government of Canada announced in last year's budget that it was allocating more than $350 million to the Canada Summer Jobs and Youth Employment and Skills Strategy programs aimed at adding and/or supporting 90,000 youth job placements and other employment opportunities, including seasonal summer positions.
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It is difficult to know how much this will help offset some of the challenges young Canadians are facing trying to find work right now and approaching the summer.
Although there may be more jobs added to this subset of the labour market this year, the number of applicants is also on the rise.
'Population growth has been especially fast among people under 25. And the fact is that this has been occurring at a time when employers are pulling back. And so we've got two trends kind of working in opposite directions,' Bernard says.
Global News reached out to the federal government to ask about the summer job outlook given current and future initiatives for job creation and youth employment, but did not receive a response by publication time.
What to do if you're still searching
Summer camps are one of the most common niche employers that hire primarily seasonal positions consisting of younger workers and students, and some are still looking to fill positions.
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'We need a lot of staff, and we're nearly complete. Much of our hiring takes place between January and April, with May and June devoted to filling in the blanks. But I think the labour exchange is alive and well in the camp industry,' Camp Walden director Sol Birenbaum says.
'There are so many soft skill and hard skill benefits to working at summer camp above and beyond just the salary. My advice to young people is to do a full cost-benefit analysis.'
Bernard at Indeed also advises young Canadians to do a full analysis of themselves in addition to the current labour market conditions.
'Set some expectations and have awareness of what's going on in the market, looking inward at your specific goals today and in the future,' Bernard says.
'What are you good at? What skills do you have? And what do you like? What are your interests? And that should be, I think, the starting point of thinking of a longer-term career path.'