Young people forced to get creative as COVID-19 disrupts summer job plans yet again

Last summer, Finn Baikie'sjob mentoring soccer refereeswas cancelled because of the pandemic.

This spring, the 16-year-old from Guelph, Ont., got hired as a dishwasher at a local restaurant, but, once again, that opportunitydisappeared because of COVID-19.The provincial government introduced itslatest round of public health restrictionsthe day before he was supposed to start.

Baikie is among many frustrated young Canadians struggling to make some money during this prolonged public health crisis that risks dragging on into a second summer.

According to Canada'slatest job numbers released Friday, employment among those aged 15 to 24 fell by 101,000 jobs in April, with Ontario and British Columbia takingthe hardest hit.

It's been a tough time to tryto gainwork experience and save money, Baikie said. He still hopes therestaurant will reopen once the current restrictions are lifted. And once it does, the 11th grader planstotry to get as many hours as possible.

It's a challenge some of his friends in Guelph are experiencing too, he said.

People applied for jobs earlier than they normally would, he said. There was a big rush, and many have been struggling to find work.

"This would be a time where I'd be experimenting with different jobs and things to find what fits," Baikiesaid.

But opportunities are difficult to come by.

Traditional summer workplaces for young people inrestaurants, retail, hotels and children's camps are still in some level of lockdown in many parts of the country. So competition for the relatively few jobs being posted is fierce.

Among the hardest hit

Young people are among those with the most ground to make up when it comes to lost job opportunities due to the pandemic, saidBrendonBernard, a senior economist with job-search firm Indeed Canada.

He suggests there could be more opportunities in less traditional sectors for teens and young adults, such as construction labour, landscaping and health care.

Emily Doucetteof Toronto is one of those young people who hasbeen trying to think outside the box.

"I've definitely been trying to go outside of my comfort zone because I'm just not really trusting the services industry right now," she said. "I'm really hesitant to do a restaurant job right now because I'm scared to get a job, work for a couple weeks, and then be jobless again, and then I'm back to Square 1."

She's been trying to put together several online tutoring gigs.

The 21-year-old worked in retail and as a waitress throughout her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto,and she expected to start her master's degree in education debt-free.

"I thought, truly, I won't have to get more loans because I'd been working so hard," she said. "I was really proud to pay off the loans."

WATCH | How young Canadians are navigating a tough summer job market:

Young Canadians face another tough summer job market

3 years ago

Duration 2:01

Students and other young Canadians are facing a second summer with a tough job market as many industries face uncertainty because of the pandemic.

But she's facing a steep increase in expenses when she begins paying tuition this fall to the tune of $14,000 per year.

Last year's government support for students, the Canadaemergency student benefit (CESB), isn't being renewed. The program provided $1,250 per four-week period for up to 16 weeks.

Uncertainty for employers as well

Employers are feeling the sense of uncertainty, too.

Geoff Park owns and runs Camp Summit near Squamish, B.C., north of Vancouver.

He said he hopesthey'll be able to fully reopen this summer. If the province doesn't allow overnight stays, they'll aim to do smaller day camps.

"We'd be operating at a little less than 30 per centof what we typically would, if not a little bit lower," he said.

And that means fewer job opportunities for young peoplethis summer.

Park, who also serves on the board of the BC Camps Association, says camps employ more than 70,000 youth across Canada every year.

The country has more than 900 camps, he said, and it's a $2-billion-a-year industry serving more than threemillion kids.

Almost all of those camps haven't been able to operate at their typical capacity, or any capacity, he said.

"All camps across Canada are still in a very uncertain time, not knowing exactly what we're going to be able to do or if we're going to be able to operate," Park said.

"If we're able to operate, we're going to recover. If we're not able to operate this summer, continued government support is really going to be massively necessary to keep this really important sector in Canada thriving."

Reasons for optimism

Indeed Canada economist Brendon Bernard says there is room for hope.

In the near term, the outlook for youth employment remains subdued, he said, but we've seenthat employment bounces back surprisingly quickly when COVID-19 cases start dropping and businessesstart reopening.

"If the vaccine rollout can proceed in a timely fashion and is effective at bringing COVID cases down, then there's reason for optimism."