In the summer months, Statistics Canada collects labour force data on students who were attending school full-time in March, and who intend to return full-time in the fall.
The unemployment rate for these students rose compared to June of last year. The June 2012 unemployment rate for students 17-19 was 17.3 per cent (up from 13.8 per cent in June 2011), and 13 per cent for students 20-24 (up from 11 per cent in June 2011).
The employment rate for full-time students aged 20-24 has fallen 4.2 percentage points since last June, and is now at 63.2 per cent. This matches the employment rate for June 2009 — in the middle of the recession. Statistics Canada reports that this is the lowest June employment rate since this type of data became available in 1977.
The labour market isn’t looking great for youth who aren’t students, either. The table above shows the supplementary youth unemployment rate that includes involuntary part-time, produced by Statistics Canada.
These numbers are high compared to pre-recession rates, even for Saskatchewan and Alberta. New Brunswick and Quebec are the exception, with high youth unemployment rates, but very little change over the past four summers. Nova Scotia in particular has seen a jump in youth unemployment compared to last year.
This article was first posted on the Progressive Economics Forum.
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