Understanding and Addressing Barriers to Youth Employment
Why Equity-Centered Strategies Are Critical for the Future of Work
The transition from school to work is a pivotal life stage for young people. It shapes their independence, identity, and long-term financial security. But today’s youth are navigating that transition within a changing and uncertain labour market—and they’re facing real, systemic barriers.
In Canada, the youth unemployment rate has risen from 9.7% in January 2023 to 12.6% in May 2024 (Fraser Institute, 2024). While youth have always experienced higher unemployment than older workers, the gap has widened. Factors like precarious work, automation, and economic instability are now the reasons many young people are first to lose their jobs or be pushed out of the job market entirely.
When young people miss out on early attachment to the workforce, the effects are long-term. Lower wages, fewer opportunities for career advancement, and even declines in mental health and overall wellbeing often follow.
What’s Getting in the Way?
Here are some of the barriers that continue to shape young people’s entry into the workforce:
1) Lack of Work Experience and Professional Networks
Employers often ask for experience before young people have had a chance to gain it. It’s the whole chicken and egg scenario - without access to job networks, mentors, or internships, many youth, particularly those from marginalized communities, are shut out before they begin.
2) Precarious and Part-Time Employment
Youth are more likely to be hired into part-time jobs, roles with no benefits, or unpredictable hours. This limits access to financial stability, healthcare, and workplace safety training.
3) Systemic Discrimination
Black, Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, the unhoused, and newcomer youth all experience disproportionately high unemployment rates. Youth with disabilities face barriers around accessibility, accommodation, and stigma. These aren’t individual issues—they’re structural, and they require structural solutions.
4) Educational Gaps and Policy Failures
The labour market has shifted toward high-skill, knowledge-based work—but many young people aren’t being adequately prepared. One-size-fits-all employment programs often exclude those who need the most support, and career navigation tools are not accessible, inclusive, or up to date.
5) Mental Health and Wellbeing
Economic stress, social isolation, and lack of opportunity affect not just employment outcomes—but also identity, self-worth, and long-term health. Youth employment strategies must also include mental health supports.
Why Employers Should Care
Young people are not just future workers—they’re present contributors. They bring innovation, adaptability, and tech fluency to a rapidly evolving economy. And as the Canadian population ages, the economy needs their participation and tax contributions more than ever.
What Equity-Informed Employers Can Do
To build truly inclusive and future-ready organizations, employers need to move beyond basic recruitment and into systemic change. Here's what that looks like:
Rethink “Experience” Requirements: Focus on transferable skills, lived experience, and potential.
Provide Mentorship and Coaching: Pair young workers with colleagues who can support their growth and model inclusive leadership.
Offer Stable, Quality Employment: Prioritize full-time roles with benefits, training opportunities, and fair pay.
Invest in Accessibility: Ensure application processes, training, and workplaces are accessible to youth with disabilities and those in remote or under-resourced areas. Start with what positions can be fully remote!
Build Culturally Safe Workplaces: Embed anti-racist and trauma-informed practices into workplace culture to support racialized and Indigenous youth.
Amplify Youth Voice: Don’t just hire young people—include them in decision-making, leadership pipelines, and feedback loops.
Interested to learn more? Curated Leadership can help you build youth employment strategies, training programs to help managers lead intergenerational and diverse teams, build mentorship models that build leadership capacity, and more! Book a free discovery call, subscribe to our newsletter, and visit our other pages to find out more about how Curated Leadership is your partner in creating a more inclusive workplace.
