Canada saw a sharp spike in employed youth this August: StatsCan

Young Canadians are clocking in by the droves, according to some recent numbers from Statistics Canada.

The government agency reported that their Review of Economic Statistics – Labour Force Survey for August of this year found a sharp spike in employment following three months of little change, with employment increasing by 81,000 country-wide in that one month alone.

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Much of that increase was in part-time jobs, with Gen Z making up a large portion of August’s increase.

“The majority of employment gains were in part-time work led by higher part-time employment in Ontario,” said Vincent Ferrao, a Senior Analyst with Stats Canada, in a video on their Facebook page.

“Half of the overall increase in employment in August was among those aged 15 to 24.”

As mentioned by Ferrao, Ontario led last month’s growth with an increase of 58,000 jobs, all being part-time work with the majority falling into the wholesale and retail trade industries.

Stats Canada

Even with the new jobs, the province’s unemployment rate remained largely unchanged at 5.6%, as did the rates across the country.

A total of 42,000 of the new jobs gained in August went to youth aged 15 to 24, and Stats Canada’s survey states that nearly all went to young women. When comparing to last year, youth employment was up by 3% (75,000) for August.

It’s looking like more students were picking up summer jobs this year than last, with Stats Canada’s survey discovering that the employment of returning students within that same age range rose by 5% (59,000) over last year as well.

Because who doesn’t need a little pocket change for back to school shopping, right?