Ottawa, ON – Garnett Genuis, Conservative Shadow Minister for Employment, released the following statement regarding the Labour Force Survey:
“Young Canadians are being crushed by Carney’s failure to get our economy moving again. This was confirmed by July’s Labour Force Survey, which found that the youth employment rate has sunk to its lowest level in over 25 years. 34,000 youth aged 15 to 24 lost their jobs last month as the youth unemployment rate increased to 14.6 percent.
“Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for youth returning to school rose to 17.5 percent. First jobs used to give youth experience that equipped them for their future, but this summer, students are facing an economic barrier.
“Canadians’ overall career opportunities aren’t faring any better. 1.6 million Canadians were unemployed, with 23.8 percent – almost 400,000 – having been continuously searching for work for over two years. This is the highest share of long-term unemployment since February 1998 (excluding the pandemic).
“As unemployment has continued to rise, 41,000 Canadians lost their jobs in July alone, with almost all the losses being concentrated among youth and the private sector. Only the public sector saw job growth last month, with 1 in 5 Ontario workers now employed by the public sector.
“The Liberals’ plan isn’t working, and neither are our young people. Canadians need a real plan to unleash our economic potential, create jobs and deliver a better future for the next generation.”