‘Summer is a make-or-break moment': Young Ontarians share challenges looking for work as seasonal employment dwindles

CTV News

22-05-2025

An attendee places their resume in a drop box at the Albany Job Fair in Latham, New York, US, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. Photographer: Angus Mordant/Bloomberg
After applying to dozens of job postings—193 to be exact—Tom Chekan has still not landed a job for the summer.
So far, the 20-year-old university student says he has only landed seven interviews, meaning Chekan has roughly a four per cent success rate in getting to the next step.
It is a situation that many young Ontarians are increasingly finding themselves in, with one recent analysis published by job site Indeed suggesting that summer job postings on its platform are down 22 per cent compared to this time last year.
Meanwhile, data from Statistics Canada shows that 14.1 per cent of 15-to-24-year-olds were without work in April, more than double the Canada-wide jobless rate of 6.9 per cent.
'A lot of the time, when I'm in the interview, the last question I ask (is…) 'When am I expected to hear back?'' Chekan told CTV News Toronto, noting one fast food restaurant told him he would hear by the end of the following week. 'By the end of (the) next week, I did not get the job.'
Each day, Chekan says he scours six different job boards in the hopes of finding something that falls within his skillset and experience level—as well as in close enough proximity to where he lives in Ottawa. He says that he has looked at fast food, landscaping, retail and summer student roles and makes a habit of cycling through the new postings for each industry every day, noting one position he applied for was to be a grave digger.
Chekan said that he has a goal of applying to at least five jobs daily and typically ends up applying to more. He says he even has a whiteboard in his room tallying the number of jobs he has applied to so far, as a motivator to keep going and not give up.
'I like seeing the number go up because, well, at least I'm trying my hardest and also, if I try my hardest, my parents can't get on my back,' Chekan says.
He adds his parents have been understanding though, as he says they recognize his determination and efforts in a tough job market for young people.
'They're like 'No, you are trying your hardest, do not worry. This is not a reflection of you, this is a reflection of the job market,'' Chekan said.
Chekan was one of more than a dozen young people who contacted CTV News Toronto about their struggles finding work following the publication of a story about the dismal state of the job market on Tuesday.
In an interview with CTV News Toronto, Indeed economist Brendon Bernard says employers got most of their hiring done during a strong job market in mid-2022 to early 2023 and have been more selective as the economy has weakened.
He says youth employment is 'particularly sensitive to the state of the hiring market,' as many younger Ontarians are going in and out of school and looking for seasonal work in high-turnover sectors.
Bernard also pointed to the 7.2 per cent population growth among youths since July 2024 and said that new jobs have not been created to keep up with that influx of young people.
'One thing we've seen is that youth unemployment has deteriorated more notably—even more notably than we'd expect by just looking at unemployment rates of older age groups,' Bernard said.
'A make-or-break moment for me'
Initially, Chekan started his job hunt searching for a co-op position as part of his program requirements at the University of Ottawa, which Chekan says plays into why he has applied to so many positions this spring. Chekan says he was unable to land a placement for the summer but is not discouraged as he has another co-op term in winter of 2026.
But as the job hunt has dragged on, Chekan has gotten more frustrated and concerned about his financial situation.
Jérémy Tellier can relate to Chekan's poor luck in not being able to find a paid internship as part of his program requirements, as he says he needs to complete one this summer under the post-production program at Humber College.
'I began networking in the fall by attending industry event sand trying to make connections, but unfortunately, nothing meaningful came from it,' Tellier wrote in an email to CTV News Toronto. 'This spring, I applied to dozens of paid internships through online postings and a dedicated class designed to support our job hunt. After three months of applying, I was ghosted by nearly every employer except for two.'
Tellier says he landed an unpaid internship, meaning he now has to find a paid job in order to pay his bills. Ideally, the 24-year-old says he would stay in Toronto as there are more opportunities in his field here as opposed to his hometown of Elliot Lake, Ont.
'OSAP currently allows me to afford residence but once summer ends, that support will no longer be available. This summer is truly a make-or-break moment for me,' Tellier wrote, hoping to not face the same dead end as he had before at home.
Grappling with the exorbitant costs of Toronto while looking for stable employment for the summer has also been weighing on Sarah Mooallem, as she says she will have to dip into her savings if she can't find work soon.
The 24-year-old professional communications student says looking for work has been harder than in any previous spring.
'Usually by the end of April I'll typically have something confirmed, or at least a couple of strong leads,' Mooallem told CTV News Toronto in an interview on Wednesday. But as it stands near the end of May, Mooallem says there is one job she has reached the interview stage at in the communications industry and another where the employer is now contacting her references, though in a field she hasn't worked in for some time.
'It's been a while since I've really worked in (early childhood education) since I've been back in school,' Mooallem said, adding that is has served as a nice backup since it has been pretty competitive landing a communications role.
How youth can navigate this job market
Bernard says it typically boils down to timing—which is something that is not within a person's control.
But the economist says his general advice to those looking for work is to look inward and acknowledge what your skills and overall goals are for both the near and far future.
'What are you interested in? What are you good at? What are your skills that you're both confident in but also enjoy using?' Bernard advised, noting that is stage one of the job-hunting process.
Then, Bernard says to do research by looking into what opportunities are out there, tapping into your network of friends, family, former colleagues, classmates and teachers, to see if they have any idea of what positions are available—and also to see what advice they have.
'Every individual field is unique, and getting some firsthand knowledge of different sectors can also be helpful,' Bernard said.
And if by then it is tough to land work, Bernard says to make the most out of a bad situation and try to develop new skills.
'It's unfortunate that now's the downtime for the labour market, but the labour market is also really cyclical and conditions today might be challenging, but when it comes to developing skills and networks, these are things—activities—that hopefully don't just benefit in the near-term but also have some longer-term payoff as well,' Bernard said.