Struggling to find a summer job in B.C.? We want to hear from you

A big part of summer for many young people is finding a summer job.

When school’s out, it’s the perfect opportunity to make some extra money, but youth in B.C. are struggling to get hired.

And it’s not just in B.C. — this is shaping out to be the worst summer job market in Canada in two decades.

According to the latest data from Statistics Canada, “employment was little changed for a fourth consecutive month among youth aged 15 to 24 in May.”

The youth unemployment rate last month sat at  54.1 per cent, down 1.1 percentage points on a year-over-year basis.

StatCan noted that the month of May is significant in youth employment data collection because it “provides the first indicator of the summer job market, especially for older youth, as high-school students are still attending classes.”

National employment rate by age group, May 2025. (Statistics Canada)

The unemployment rate among returning students aged 15 to 24 in May was 20.1 per cent, up 3.2 per cent from the same time last year.

StatCan noted that the unemployment rate of youth in Canada last month was similar to the rate last observed in May 2009.

B.C.’s youth unemployment rate (ages 15 to 24) was 16.6 per cent in May, making it the second-highest in Canada (after Alberta’s 17.2 per cent).

If you’re a young person in the province who has been refining your resume and sending it to potential employers without any luck, we want to hear from you.

Get in touch with us at vancouver@dailyhive.com, and we may reach out for an upcoming story about B.C.’s tough summer job market for young people.

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