What would you tell your kids to do for a living?

[chemgear]

CBC has a piece about the rising youth unemployment in Canada. Even engineering is no lock.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/you...0the%20economy.

"It's bleak," said the 23-year-old graduate of the University of Calgary's media and communications program. She hasn't been able to find a job in her field and said she intends to pursue a master's degree.

"I believe that it's tough just because of everything that's happening with the economy, with our society and with politics," she said. "There's a whole [lot] of talk about 'there's a recession coming.' I'm not an economist, but I can also see it as well."

Chung is part of a generation facing Canada's highest youth unemployment rate in about a quarter-century.

Fast forward to 2025, and Canada's youngest workers are grappling with a perfect storm of economic conditions: an inflation crisis that came on the heels of a pandemic; a surge in population growth that has outpaced the number of available jobs; and now, a country teetering closer to recession as the U.S. trade war wreaks uncertainty on the economy.

The federal government and public policy experts prescribed higher immigration as an antidote to the shortage, which led to a rise in the Gen Z and millennial working population.

"I spent two hours sweeping yesterday, and I have a mechanical engineering degree," said 24-year-old Ben Gooch of Dundas, Ont.

[Fuzz]

I only have one piece of time tested CP advice for them.


Have you considered joining the military?

[Shazam]

Ontario is screwed at the moment. Benny needs to look elsewhere unfortunately.

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by chemgear

CBC has a piece about the rising youth unemployment in Canada. Even engineering is no lock.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/you...0the%20economy.

"It's bleak," said the 23-year-old graduate of the University of Calgary's media and communications program. She hasn't been able to find a job in her field and said she intends to pursue a master's degree.

"I believe that it's tough just because of everything that's happening with the economy, with our society and with politics," she said. "There's a whole [lot] of talk about 'there's a recession coming.' I'm not an economist, but I can also see it as well."

Chung is part of a generation facing Canada's highest youth unemployment rate in about a quarter-century.

Fast forward to 2025, and Canada's youngest workers are grappling with a perfect storm of economic conditions: an inflation crisis that came on the heels of a pandemic; a surge in population growth that has outpaced the number of available jobs; and now, a country teetering closer to recession as the U.S. trade war wreaks uncertainty on the economy.

The federal government and public policy experts prescribed higher immigration as an antidote to the shortage, which led to a rise in the Gen Z and millennial working population.

"I spent two hours sweeping yesterday, and I have a mechanical engineering degree," said 24-year-old Ben Gooch of Dundas, Ont.

Millennials:

Spoiler!

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I only have one piece of time tested CP advice for them.

Have you considered joining the military?

Or learning how to code.

[Geraldsh]

The military will pay you while you learn how to code. Join now before the rush.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Geraldsh

The military will pay you while you learn how to code. Join now before the rush.

Those missiles aren't gonna code themselves!

*holds hand up to imaginary earpiece*

Jesus. Really? They did?

[ryeguy252]

I worked in a restaurant way back and most of the serving staff is 18-25. Always lots of turnover and always hiring.

Originally Posted by indes

I have a couple of coworkers with daughters aged 18 & 21, they're at 130 resumes submitted between them and can't find jobs in Edmonton. Anything from fast food to retail they aren't even getting callbacks.

[DoubleF]

I think I need to better teach my kids that nothing is beneath them job wise. Everything contributes towards a career, no matter how menial the role is (ie: if the front door works, try the side door and work your way up/one of the persons with the most access to areas a company is the janitor with the keys). Learning to do a variety of things like retail/customer service/labour roles doesn't hurt your long term career goals, no matter what it is IMO.

The other thing I anticipate is that management + forecasting and budgeting will be more important than it is now. AI will be good, but I think we could end up in a situation where the AI is like someone with ADHD and will just do a bunch of unnecessary things if not managed or focused correctly/given automatic access to too many things. This will amplify as lead times shorten drastically. Things that used to take hours to weeks can be done nearly instantly. This is great assuming that we aren't receiving 10,000x more pre-created trash within moments (ie: possibility doesn't turn into tangible product). Either the algorithms will force people to like something which could mean consumption of media becomes an odd circular loop of ennui (ie: "nothing to watch on Netflix). Or certain human will be identified and used in groups for figuring out/testing what potential "new trends" will be next (ie: Kinda like an early access/beta testing type of work role).

I think I mentioned I want my kids to learn as many different skills and roles as possible growing up. Have many skillsets to be a good candidate for potentially new work roles that will be created once AI is more commonly deployed. IMO, one way to look at it is to see how collectors items/social media influencing/video gaming have exploded in the last few decades. It probably wasn't even on most people's radar as a possible work like role in the 80s/90s. AI is the next frontier to the internet/knowledge age and IMO we haven't even properly identified how things will change going forward.

IMO, not just coding, coding will just be language. "Polyglots" will be standard going forward. IMO, logic and design will be the next frontier once AI levels out certain parts of the playing field.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Cappy

Millennials:

Spoiler!

The last cohort of Canadians to face this bad of a job market at age 18-25 are well into their 40s now.

[Fuzzy14]

I think a big concern for young people is their inability to access part time work, either in high school or university.

I was employed, at least in some capacity, from the age of 14 to when I went to law school at 27. When applying for jobs at various points in my life, my work experience has been invaluable. For many students who obtain arts degrees of some form or another, whether they have some form of work experience is going to be a deciding factor in whether they can obtain work post-graduation.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by chemgear

CBC has a piece about the rising youth unemployment in Canada. Even engineering is no lock.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/you...0the%20economy.

"It's bleak," said the 23-year-old graduate of the University of Calgary's media and communications program. She hasn't been able to find a job in her field and said she intends to pursue a master's degree.

"I believe that it's tough just because of everything that's happening with the economy, with our society and with politics," she said. "There's a whole [lot] of talk about 'there's a recession coming.' I'm not an economist, but I can also see it as well."

Chung is part of a generation facing Canada's highest youth unemployment rate in about a quarter-century.

Fast forward to 2025, and Canada's youngest workers are grappling with a perfect storm of economic conditions: an inflation crisis that came on the heels of a pandemic; a surge in population growth that has outpaced the number of available jobs; and now, a country teetering closer to recession as the U.S. trade war wreaks uncertainty on the economy.

The federal government and public policy experts prescribed higher immigration as an antidote to the shortage, which led to a rise in the Gen Z and millennial working population.

"I spent two hours sweeping yesterday, and I have a mechanical engineering degree," said 24-year-old Ben Gooch of Dundas, Ont.

Originally Posted by Fuzzy14

I think a big concern for young people is their inability to access part time work, either in high school or university.

I was employed, at least in some capacity, from the age of 14 to when I went to law school at 27. When applying for jobs at various points in my life, my work experience has been invaluable. For many students who obtain arts degrees of some form or another, whether they have some form of work experience is going to be a deciding factor in whether they can obtain work post-graduation.

Yeah, for me I have been employed (often in multiple jobs) from 14-Current with only a 3 month gap from when I quit my last job and started my own company.

I'll go a little differently, but, that Engineer in the article isn't wrong, we do have something of a hostile political climate in regards to employment.

We as a nation have made standard employment incredibly onerous and expensive. Even just basic payroll is expensive.

You cant just hire the kid that walks through the door to wash dishes anymore.

I mean that seriously. One of my jobs I literally walked into a restaurant looking for a job and in less than 60 seconds it went like this:

"Can you wash dishes?"

- "Yes."

"Here's an apron, get in the back they'll show you where to go."

Done. I worked in that restaurant in varying capacities for 3 years.

Can't do that anymore.

Hence the MASSIVE rise in Professionals who are 'Contractors.' And at the moment, at least in my experience IT is the worst.

I mean, IT people are important, but man do they just get rag-dolled. Always contracted so they can be let go at a moment's notice, etc. They really get the short end of ye ol' 'Employment stick.'

As a country we have to really consider making employment more affordable. I'm not even talking about wages, I'm really talking about all of the ancillary costs of employing someone, CPP, EI, withholding and remittances, vacation pay, the actual cost of payroll, benefits, potential severance, etc. It can be a lot of money and so employers are very, very cautious about hiring someone, especially professionals because those costs go up exponentially, so....they like contractors.