Struggles of the young and jobless – Business – CBC News. (FULL ARTICLE)

Friday’s employment figures held a rare spot of good news for young workers – the creation of 15,700 jobs for 15- to 24-year-olds in September.

The burden of unemployment has fallen especially heavily on Canada’s youth over the last three to five years.

• Unemployment rate drops to 6.9% in September

Youth joblessness currently stands at 12.9 per cent, down from 14.1 per cent in August, possibly on account of many young people returning to school in the fall. That compares with a Canada-wide unemployment rate of 6.9 per cent.

‘It definitely is a very competitive job market, and when it is competitive, employers have more choices.’– Manjeet Dhiman, job counsellor

Youth participation in the workforce is a scant 63 per cent, and only 48 per cent of young workers have full-time employment, with the rest making do with part-time work, according to Statistics Canada.

And while dismal job prospects have encouraged many young Canadians to stay in school, for many, a master’s degree is no guarantee of employment in any job, let alone in their field of study.

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• Young people dropping out of the workforce amid high youth unemployment (o.canada.com)