The House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities met to study youth employment in Canada. The first panel featured Pierre Fortin, a professor of economics at Université du Québec à Montréal, and Kaylie Tiessen, chief economist of The Canadian SHIELD Institute, who appeared with managing director Vasiliki Bednar. The second panel included David Binger, a graduate student in counselling psychology and care advocate, and Michael Gordon, director of Canadian training for United Association Canada.
Pierre Fortin testified that the national unemployment rate has risen from 5% to 7% over the past 30 months, with youth unemployment increasing by 4 percentage points—three and a half times the increase for older adults. He argued this magnification factor has grown since 2016, attributing it to the explosion of immigration, which he said has flooded the labour market with new workers competing for entry-level jobs, pushing youth and new immigrant unemployment rates to nearly 15% and 12% respectively. He recommended moderating immigration policy, noting recent government steps in that direction, and encouraged the Bank of Canada to continue lowering interest rates to stimulate the economy.
Kaylie Tiessen and Vasiliki Bednar argued that a structural breakdown is occurring in how young people enter the workforce, driven by employers automating junior tasks, inflating credential requirements, and cutting training and internship budgets. They noted that global job postings for roles requiring zero to two years of experience are down nearly 30% since 2024 and that 40% of Canadian workers are overqualified for their jobs. They recommended bridging the gap between learning and earning by expanding co-op and apprenticeship programs, modernizing hiring systems with transparent pilots like randomized lotteries for internships, and designing a nationwide skills assessment system that moves beyond credentials. They disagreed with framing the issue solely as a skills problem, emphasizing that demand for youth labour has fundamentally shifted.
David Binger testified that youth from the child welfare system face systemic barriers to employment, including low graduation rates, chronic poverty, and overrepresentation in homelessness and incarceration, with lifetime earnings estimated at $326,000 less than peers. He called for professional regulation and oversight of group home staff, an end to privatization and profit incentives in care, and federal standardized national data collection to guide evidence-based policy. He also recommended removing rigid age cut-offs for post-secondary support and implementing wraparound mental health, housing, and financial supports for youth from care.
Michael Gordon testified that apprenticeship is a proven solution to connect youth to stable, high-paying careers, noting that his organization achieves over 90% completion rates through wraparound supports like maternal and paternal benefits. He recommended expanding the union training and innovation program, reinstating apprenticeship completion grants, tracking pre-apprenticeship graduates by linking them to registered apprenticeship numbers, and ensuring microcredentials do not displace qualified trades professionals by requiring participants to be registered apprentices or journeypersons. He also emphasized the need for earlier career awareness through events like Skills Canada and for better enforcement against employers using unregistered "helpers" instead of apprentices.
The committee did not engage in procedural debate, motions, or votes during this meeting.
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