Edmonton named one of Canada’s best cities for youth to work: RBC study
Out of 27 Canadian urban areas evaluated for their ecosystem for youth work, Edmonton came in third in the country for allowing young people to fulfill their professional and personal ambitions.
While Edmonton ranked almost dead last for youth employment rates (24th), it performed positively in many other indicators considered for what makes an ideal city for young people to thrive, offsetting aspects driven by a lack of good youth jobs.
According to the 2021 Urban Work Index, a partnership between Youthful Cities and RBC Future Launch, Albertan cities place in the top half of the “Education and Training” category thanks to their low tuition costs. “Despite Edmonton and Calgary placing first and second respectively in Cost of Living,” reads the report, “they also have some of the highest rates of youth unemployment.”
Edmonton came in near the top for public health, digital access, and equity and inclusion. It also garnered high scores for city economy.
- See also:
“Cities with workplace and social efforts to ensure inclusivity are appealing and foster a more diverse population. This means that they offer a welcoming and safe environment that is representative of the diversity of cultures of those who live there and provide public services to meet the needs of different people,” reads the study.
Edmonton ranked highly in cost of living (first), public health (third), and equity and inclusion (third), but it was weaker in city economy (26th), climate change (14th), and entrepreneurial spirit (11th).
Edmonton scored fifth for digital access, and, for public transit, Edmonton ranks twelfth in the number of users who choose this mode of transportation.
Calgary and Lethbridge ranked sixth and 17th overall, respectively, while Vancouver came in first. Montreal was at fifth, behind Edmonton but just ahead of Ottawa at seventh and Toronto at eighth.
The study, launched in March 2020, hired 1,200 young people in the analyzed Canadian cities as urban researchers to collect public data, and perform surveys and interviews with over 3,000 youth between the ages of 15 and 29. In total, there were nearly 16,000 points of data contributing to the 2021 rankings.
Canada’s best urban areas for youth in 2021 (total score)
- Vancouver (623.66)
- Hamilton (541.23)
- Edmonton (538.96)
- Victoria (538.38)
- Montreal (532.22)
- Calgary (530.47)
- Ottawa/Gatineau (530.40)
- Toronto (525.91)
- Quebec City (503.92)
- Mississauga (501.05)
- Halifax (496.42)
- Kelowna (494.48)
- Winnipeg (486.21)
- Kitchener-Waterloo (485.481)
- Sudbury (481.03)
- Saskatoon (479.36)
- Lethbridge (474.13)
- Brampton (468.84)
- Laval (466.55)
- Yellowknife (461.87)
- Oshawa (460.16)
- Regina (458.57)
- Charlottetown (446.22)
- St. John’s (434.91)
- London (434.16)
- Moncton (411.74)
- Fredericton (395.27)
Indicator rankings of Canadian urban areas in the 2021 Urban Work Index. Click on the image for an enlarged version. (Youthful Cities/RBC)
Indicator rankings of Canadian urban areas in the 2021 Urban Work Index. Click on the image for an enlarged version. (Youthful Cities/RBC)