February 8th, 2019

High youth unemployment persists in Ontario, as Doug Ford lets next generation down

According to January’s Labour Force Survey, youth unemployment in Ontario is up, and the province continues to see higher rates of youth unemployment than the rest of Canada.

NDP Employment, Jobs, Research and Innovation critic Catherine Fife said the numbers show a persistent trend of youth in this province being let down.

“Young people in Ontario deserve opportunities to find the stable jobs and meaningful careers that will launch them into a successful adulthood, and enable affordable lives,” Fife said.

“Ontario youth already struggle to afford moving out, buying a home and starting a family. Doug Ford is making things worse for young people, going after low and middle-income post-secondary students by cutting grants and making it tougher to access loan support. By cancelling the six-month, post-graduation grace period students had before student loan interest kicked in, Ford is forcing young people to take on even more crippling debt loads.

“Ontario’s youth deserve a government that looks out for all students — not just the kids from the wealthiest families who can afford to pay full tuition up front.”

To tackle Ontario’s high rates of youth unemployment, Ontario needs to create not just jobs, but paid training opportunities for students to learn crucial job skills without having to go further into debt, said NDP Youth Engagement critic Faisal Hassan.

“The NDP is fighting for the creation of at least 27,000 paid internships and co-op jobs. Students and young people in this province deserve more opportunity, not less, from their government,” Hassan said.