Ottawa, ON – Garnett Genuis, Conservative Shadow Minister for Employment, released the following statement on the end-of-year Labour Force Survey numbers:
“Today’s job numbers show what Canadians have been feeling for months: nobody can get ahead in the Carney economy, least of all our youth. After the worst summer for youth unemployment since the Great Recession, December saw 27,000 fewer Canadians aged 15 to 24 employed, a 1 per cent decline and 1.6 million Canadians out of a job, an almost 4.9 per cent increase in December.
“It’s not just our youth that have been shut out of employment, the overall unemployment rate rose to 6.8 per cent, with 73,000 more people out of work in one month alone. And for anyone who says this is a global problem, unaffected by federal domestic policy, the unemployment rate fell to 4.4 per cent south of the border.
“Last month’s declines capped off a terrible year for Canadians trying to enter the job market. The employment rate continued to trend down from 61.1 per cent in January to 60.9 per cent by the end of the year. From January to August, the job finding rate was 18.1 per cent – 2.9 per cent lower than the previous year and 5.9 per cent lower than prior to the pandemic.
“That’s as the number of job vacancies fell by over 10 per cent in the third quarter of the year, providing fewer opportunities for those looking for work. Meanwhile, over the last 12 months, part-time employment grew almost 2 per cent faster than full-time employment as more and more Canadians are pushing into part-time positions after being unable to find full-time jobs.
“2025 marked a collapsing ability to find work as the Liberal job crisis pulled up the economic ladder. It has hit youth looking for summer jobs especially hard, depriving them of a chance to learn important skills and save up for university.
“It’s clear Mark Carney’s ‘plan’ isn’t working. The Conservative Jobs Plan will cut the taxes and red tape that choke growth and hamper investment, restore jobs and hope with stronger take-home pay that buys affordable food and homes.”