Ottawa's young workers are feeling the squeeze, and a new report from CBC makes it clear this isn't just a Toronto problem.
Across Canada's major cities, youth unemployment is quietly becoming one of the most pressing economic stories of our time. In Toronto, young people describe competing with dozens of equally qualified candidates for entry-level roles, all while rent prices and the cost of living keep climbing. The same dynamic is playing out in Ottawa, where the gap between what jobs pay and what it costs to actually live here has never felt wider.
What's Driving the Youth Jobs Crunch
Experts point to two converging forces: Canada's slowing economy and the long tail of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic wiped out a generation of early career experience, internships cancelled, entry-level roles eliminated, networking opportunities lost. Now, as the broader economy cools, employers have become more cautious about hiring, and young people are often the first to feel that pullback.
For recent graduates and first-time job seekers, this creates a brutal catch-22: you need experience to get a job, but you can't get experience without a job.
Ottawa's Unique Pressures
Ottawa has its own flavour of this challenge. The city's economy leans heavily on the federal public service, tech, and healthcare, sectors that have all seen their own turbulence recently. Federal government hiring has slowed considerably, closing off a traditional entry point that many Ottawa graduates relied on. Meanwhile, the local tech scene, while still active, has gone through significant layoffs over the past two years.
For young Ottawans without a government or tech foothold, the options can feel limited. Service industry work has rebounded post-pandemic, but it rarely pays enough to cover rent in a city where average two-bedroom apartments now routinely top $2,200 a month.
How to Stand Out in a Crowded Field
The head of a youth employment non-profit interviewed by CBC offered advice that sounds almost retro, but may be exactly right: hand your resume to an employer in person. In an era of online applications that disappear into algorithmic black holes, a face-to-face introduction still creates a memorable impression.
Other strategies worth considering:
- Volunteer or take on contract work to build a portfolio, even if it's unpaid at first
- Target smaller local businesses rather than just large employers. They often hire more personally
- Use LinkedIn actively and connect with Ottawa-area professionals in your target industry
- Check Ottawa-specific job boards and community Facebook groups, where smaller postings often don't make it to Indeed or Workopolis
A Systemic Problem Needs Systemic Solutions
Individual hustle can only go so far. The youth employment crisis is fundamentally a policy problem: one that requires investment in apprenticeships, co-op funding, and wage subsidies that make it worthwhile for employers to take a chance on younger workers. Ottawa's municipal government, along with provincial and federal counterparts, has a role to play in creating pathways that don't leave a generation behind.
For now, though, if you're a young person in Ottawa grinding through applications, know that the market is genuinely hard, and it's not just you.
Source: CBC News Toronto. Original reporting by CBC's Toronto bureau.
