Getting Started: Youth (15 to 24 years of age) Unemployment Rate

According to the OECD, youth unemployment must be paid attention to because of its negative implications for young graduates’ future careers called “scarring effects”.

The youth unemployment rate in Canada was 14.2% in 2011, a 0.6% drop from 14.8% in 2010 and a 1.0% drop from 15.2% in 2009. According to the OECD, youth unemployment must be paid attention to because of its negative implications for young graduates’ future careers called “scarring effects”. In the 2000-2011 time period, the overall trend has been towards higher unemployment, a small increase (1.5%) in the national average. Amongst CMAs, we see a wide range of youth unemployment rates: in 2011, London’s rate was 20.5% and Edmonton’s was 9.2%.

The unemployment rate of youth as a percent of the total unemployment rate increased 3.7% from 2010 to 2011. Since the relative supply of youth in the labour market has fallen, one might expect their relative labour market performance to improve but paradoxically, this has not been the case.