What to know<\/p>\n
Toronto job hunters across generations are struggling with long searches, hundreds of applications, and few, if any, responses, even for entry-level or minimum-wage roles.<\/p>\n
Older workers face added barriers, with some fearing age discrimination and being pushed toward early retirement after decades in the workforce.<\/p>\n
Students and early-career workers describe intense competition and anxiety, with thousands of applicants per job and widespread use of AI screening limiting human connection.<\/p>\n
Experts say Toronto\u2019s unemployment rate remains higher than the national average, driven by population growth and cautious hiring, though some companies are slowly beginning to hire again.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been two years since Ed Wight last held a job. The 60-year-old Toronto resident spent 18 years at a proprietary hospitality software company, most recently as a Senior Support Manager, before his position was cut in layoffs in November 2023. Now, the job hunt continues.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m looking at rebooting a career that I spent 30 years in,\u201d Wight said in an interview with Now Toronto.<\/p>\n
That reboot has come with endless job applications, nearly one every day for the past two years, and despite the hundreds of applications sent out, Wight has only gotten two interviews.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a reality that many Torontonians are currently facing as they scramble to get noticed in a competitive job market. Despite Wight\u2019s many years of senior management experience, he says he\u2019s applied to driving jobs, LCBO jobs, and even seasonal positions; anything to make an income.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just looking for something that\u2019s going to pay me 25 bucks an hour, and get me out of the apartment. I just want to work,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not even really concerned about working in my industry anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wight says he\u2019s received a lot of support from his wife, family, and friends during his job search, but still, the emotional and financial toll often leaves him feeling overwhelmed and uncertain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSome days it\u2019s just damn hard to get out of bed because you really don\u2019t see a lot of hope\u2026 It\u2019s difficult, it\u2019s depressing, it\u2019s saddening.\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wight says he is now fully accepting that he may have to be forced into early retirement if he doesn\u2019t secure a position soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a situation that he says is not often discussed enough for older job hunters such as himself, adding the focus is often on younger seekers. In fact, Wight revealed he fears his age may often play a factor into being looked over for positions.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody wants to hire somebody older than them because they either feel defensive or insecure that this person they\u2019re hiring actually has more world experience and knowledge, not realizing the benefits that they can bring in,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Students feeling the pressure<\/p>\n
All across the city people of all ages have found themselves on job searches that are often lasting longer than they initially anticipated. Fourth year Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) student, Grace Bashall, has been searching since December.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of these jobs that I\u2019m seeing [have] like thousands and thousands of applicants, even for entry level roles. So it just creates a lot of over-saturation, and it\u2019s very competitive even to get a minimum wage job right now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Bashall says she\u2019s sent out close to 300 applications since her hunt began and hasn\u2019t heard back from many places. As time goes on, the anxiety associated with job hunting gets worse, and adds that Artificial Intelligence (AI) screening can often make applicants feel hopeless.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve noticed this trend of employers using AI screening to look at your resume as well as doing these online AI screenings where you\u2019re talking to a robot. So that, in a way, feels a little disheartening to not really get that human-to-human connection when you\u2019re job hunting,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Wight says that AI screening has also made the job search difficult and frustrating.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no numbers to call, there\u2019s no email addresses, there\u2019s no direct contacts. The system has basically failed for hiring individuals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Manroop Aulakh, another fourth year TMU student, says she\u2019s also spent months searching for a minimum wage job, and says she rarely hears back, adding even rejection notices are silent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s basically me applying to jobs, and 99 per cent of the time I hear nothing back from anyone,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m just like waiting, and it\u2019s kind of tedious.\u201d<\/p>\n
Toronto\u2019s unemployment rate higher than national average, experts say<\/p>\n