15-05-2025
The summer job market is getting trounced
Young Canadians have suffered the most in a weakening labour market – and the outlook doesn't look great, either.
As of early May, summer job postings on Indeed Canada were down 22 per cent from last year, according to a new report from the job-search site. The decline is being driven by summer camp roles, which have tumbled by 32 per cent.
As part of its analysis, Indeed tallied job postings with 'summer' (or in French, 'été') in the title, which included everything from camp counsellors to lifeguards and painters. Summer job postings typically peak from mid-April to mid-May, so the weak trend this year bodes poorly for the warmer months to come.
'The dip in job postings comes at a time when growth in youth employment has fallen far short of rapid population growth over the past two years, suggesting 2025 could be another difficult summer for seasonal job seekers,' wrote senior economist Brendon Bernard in the report.
The youth unemployment rate (for those aged 15 to 24) hit 14.1 per cent in April, steadily rising from a low of 9 per cent in the summer of 2022. Higher interest rates, meant to curb inflation, have weighed on economic growth and job creation, while strong immigration has led to an influx of job seekers.
Now, the U.S.-driven trade war is forcing some families to tighten their budgets and companies to scale back their hiring plans.
'With other risks to the Canadian labour market looming, there are few signs of near-term turnaround amid what's already a troubled job market for youth,' Mr. Bernard wrote.
Decoder is a weekly feature that unpacks an important economic chart.
