Davia Figueira-Knight, a social service worker student, on the Humber Polytechnic campus in Toronto on Wednesday. She says she spent the last year looking for a job, but still has not found work.Galit Rodan/The Globe and Mail
More than one half of young Canadians are rethinking career plans and a third wish they’d studied something different, according to a new survey that finds them struggling to secure jobs and feeling less confident about their futures.
Davia Figueira-Knight, a 23-year-old social services student in Toronto, said she spent the last year applying, networking and trying to land a job, but still has not found work.
“It took a really big hold in my life because you’re just not feeling like you’re qualified for a lot of these positions, especially the entry-level ones that require so much,” said Ms. Figueira-Knight.
With the Canadian labour market growing weaker, particularly for young people seeking entry-level jobs, many students are adjusting their career expectations while navigating the anxiety and the burnout that comes with trying to plan for their future.
A July, 2025, Simplii Financial and Ipsos Canada survey found that 54 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 25 changed their career plans and only 48 per cent felt confident about securing employment after graduation. The data also showed that 66 per cent said finding summer or part-time work was harder than in previous years.
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Ali Jaffrey, an economist at CIBC and Simplii Financial, said it has been an especially challenging time for young job seekers.
“The unemployment rate for [youth] is close to 15 per cent,” he said, referring to those aged 15 to 24. “We haven’t been at that range in quite a while, well before the pandemic,” Mr. Jaffrey said.
Youth unemployment hit 14.6 per cent in July, its highest rate since 2010 outside of pandemic years, and eased by just 0.1 percentage points in August, according to Statistics Canada.
Mr. Jaffrey says the continuing trade war is playing a big role in holding back hiring. In Ontario, U.S. tariffs have cost the province 38,000 jobs in the second quarter of 2025, the majority of which were in the manufacturing sector.
Sean Simpson, senior vice-president of public affairs at Ipsos Canada, says Ontario youth were hit harder than those in other provinces, with 59 per cent reporting difficulty finding a summer job compared to 53 per cent across the country.
While U.S. tariffs continue to affect jobs across Canada, young people are particularly at risk, with entry-level positions often the first to be cut.
Mr. Jaffrey adds that there’s an increase in people entering the job market, partly because of immigration, creating more competition for jobs. Emerging trends, including artificial intelligence, could be adding pressure to an already fragile market.
Despite studying to become a social worker, Ms. Figueira-Knight is now shifting toward a career in tech. Following in her father’s footsteps, she hopes for a stable income and more secure future. But more than 80 job applications later and she’s still waiting for an offer.
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Miriam Groom, Montreal-based CEO of Mindful Career, a career counselling and academic advising service, says she sees a spike in anxiety and burnout among young Canadians.
“Many young people are navigating constant pressure to succeed quickly, while comparing themselves to peers online, which compounds that anxiety and often leads to emotional exhaustion before they’ve entered the work force,” said Mrs. Groom, whose company works with over 250 students each month who are looking for career advice.
Burnout, she says, is often linked to anxiety, self-doubt and stress over making the “right” career choice, especially as entry-level jobs become harder to secure. People who experience burnout tend to isolate themselves and feel the urge to abandon their old life and start over.
Ms. Figueira-Knight knows the feeling well. The cycle of continuous rejection has started to wear on her.
“I feel like I might be burned out. I find myself just wanting to not really go out or socialize. You just feel discouraged being around anyone at all, especially the ones who have jobs,” she said.
Mrs. Groom urges young Canadians to rethink their job-application strategy and focus on what they can control. She recommends taking freelance or temporary work to gain experience while earning an income, and being open to any role that offers opportunities for growth. She says that getting a foot in the door and proving your value is more important than waiting for the perfect role.
“The world is your oyster, once you know where you’re going,” she said. “The anxiety will go down, you’ll have purpose and that feels so good.”