Good morning. For young Canadians looking to break into the job market, there\u2019s not much reassuring news for the near future. Between a sluggish economy, the U.S.-driven trade war and the rise of artificial intelligence (and speculation that it could decimate select entry-level work), the outlook is marked by uncertainty. In focus today is another element to the youth employment crisis: a lack of response, or even acknowledgment, after sending a job application. <\/p>\n
Up firstIn the news<\/p>\n
Law: Quebec lawyers who took on big tobacco nearly three decades ago \u2013 and won \u2013 are set to receive an unprecedented payout<\/a> of nearly $1-billion in legal fees <\/p>\n Gambling: Canada\u2019s financial crime watchdog has fined the British Columbia Lottery Corp. more than $1-million for alleged failures<\/a> in anti-money laundering controls<\/p>\n Hiring: Canadian fintech Planswell faces complaints over the company\u2019s boot camp-style hiring<\/a> program for entry-level sales representatives<\/p>\n On our radarCatch up on bank earnings: TD and CIBC report higher-than-expected third-quarter results<\/a>, as Canada\u2019s largest lenders grow more confident their clients can handle the continuing fallout from tariffs. Watching: Fed Governor Lisa Cook has sued the Trump administration, launching an unprecedented legal battle that could significantly reshape<\/a> the Fed\u2019s longstanding political independence.Going forward: Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner says softening oil prices mean the projected budget deficit is expected to grow, and will now finish at $6.5-billion in the red next spring<\/a>.Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Alin Moayedi, with social services agency S.U.C.C.E.S.S., helps clients during a job fair at Skills For Change in Toronto.Cole Burston\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n In focusThe summer funk isn\u2019t over yet for young, jobless Canadians<\/p>\n The kids are not okay. That\u2019s abundantly clear in the economic statistics \u2013 the youth unemployment rate is the highest since 2010, excluding the pandemic \u2013 and also in speaking with young workers, who are trying to navigate a job market with relatively few vacancies. <\/p>\n In fact, over the past three years, total job vacancies across the country have plunged by roughly half. In particular, there\u2019s been a swift decline in jobs that require little education or experience \u2013 exactly the sort of positions that young people are looking for.<\/p>\n I\u2019m Matt Lundy, The Globe\u2019s economics editor. For a new feature, my colleague Aajah Sauter and I spoke with young Canadians about their working lives, from high schoolers looking for extra cash to university graduates embarking on their careers. In those conversations, there was a theme that repeatedly came up: ghosting<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cA lot of companies would just ghost you and not respond, so you didn\u2019t even know what stage your application was in,\u201d said Smera Pattanaik, a 19-year-old student heading into her second year at Western University.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of the companies don\u2019t even reply\u201d to applications, said Siobhan O\u2019Donoghue, a recent graduate of the University of Guelph-Humber. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n As a concept, \u201cghosting\u201d has been around for many years, usually to describe social situations in which someone ceases contact with another without explanation.<\/p>\n In the labour context, it means that companies aren\u2019t acknowledging the receipt (or status) of job applications, or that employers stop communicating with people they\u2019ve interviewed.<\/p>\n For young job seekers, who are already contending with the financial pressures of unemployment, getting ghosted is adding insult to injury.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019ve sent out hundreds of applications and you\u2019re not hearing back, it can be quite demotivating after a while,\u201d said Nina Chou, senior operations manager at the youth employment centre at the YWCA Metro Vancouver.<\/p>\n It\u2019s always tough for young people to break into the job market. \u201cLast to get hired and first to get fired,\u201d as the old saying goes. And their employment prospects are especially sensitive to the economic cycle \u2013 something outside of their control.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n But at least some ghosting is set to vanish.<\/p>\n Starting on Jan. 1, companies in Ontario will have to inform job applicants<\/a> of whether a hiring decision has been made within 45 days of their last interview. The law will apply to employers with at least 25 workers.<\/p>\n Also next year, Ontario employers who publicly post job ads will have to disclose whether they\u2019re using artificial intelligence to screen, assess or select applicants for the position. And they\u2019ll need to note whether the posting is for an actual job vacancy (as opposed to, say, an effort to collect a bank of r\u00e9sum\u00e9s).<\/p>\n The success or failure of government policies is often in execution, from how new laws are enforced to how punishments are meted out. (A Toronto-based lawyer told Bloomberg in July that companies who fail to comply with the ghosting law could be fined as much as $100,000, although first offences could result in warnings.)<\/p>\n Still, for frustrated job seekers, this could be a step toward a more considerate hiring process. And perhaps a source of inspiration for other provinces to follow suit. <\/p>\n ChartedThe last good place on the internet<\/p>\n Free of ads, profit-seeking corporate overlords, and maintained by dedicated volunteers, Wikipedia has consistently ranked as one of the top 10 most visited websites worldwide. And Wikipedia editors<\/a>, the internet\u2019s nerdy unsung heroes, are who we have to thank.<\/p>\n BookmarkedOn our reading list<\/p>\n Step up: The legal battle over the future<\/a> of 25 former Hudson\u2019s Bay stores went before the Ontario Superior Court on Thursday.<\/p>\n Step down: Cohere president Martin Kon is stepping down<\/a> from his role after nearly three years in the position, moving into an advisory role.<\/p>\n Side eye: Influencers are turning credit card advice into a sales pitch. Can you trust them<\/a>?<\/p>\n Morning update<\/p>\n