COVID-19 has left its mark on British Columbia (B.C.)’s economy and workforce and shone a light on long-standing socio-economic issues and anxieties in need of addressing. One group hit particularly hard by the pandemic were the youth of B.C. According to the B.C Labour Market Statistics, as of March 2021, B.C. youth unemployment sits at a lofty 12.1 per cent, compared to the overall provincial unemployment rate of 5.9 per cent.
Three Canadian organizations speak to challenges and successes of youth seeking and maintaining employment, both during and prior to COVID-19.
London Farris, a virtual success coach with the Canadian Council for Youth Prosperity (CCYP), describes how the CCYP uses data from the recently completed Pivot Hub youth database project to inform their youth employment coaching program. Farris says that one key finding is that youth are in need of some more personal skills to supplement their career search.
“They were looking for personal development [as well]. They had to combine the skills that they were obtaining with how to apply them in the workplace and with their career building,” Farris explains.
Based on the database and from her own experience as a coach, Farris says the pandemic has heightened a pre-pandemic anxiety among youth about job prospects in tangible and unexpected ways.
“There was always an underlying anxiety there, but youth were more accepting of the gig economy world that we were in. But [with] the pandemic, that stemmed the fear in youth,” says Farris. “It solidified the sense of, oh no, we’re screwed. Companies had hiring freezes. And you didn’t have in person interviews, which led a lot of people to [say] how do I make that connection now?”
For a youth and services-directed program like CCYP, being able to hone the skills needed to be confident in oneself and one’s abilities is key to finding work in what Farris deems a unforgiving job market.
“We not only championed their ability within the workplace, but also the ability for them to become the best person they can be, so that they could go out and get that employment and be successful in it,” says Farris.
Dealing with isolation
Queenie Choo is the CEO of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. B.C., which provides a diversity of services and programs to B.C. residents, including employment services. S.U.C.C.E.S.S.’s Youth Employment Connect (YEC) focusses on working with youth looking to enter either Marketing and Sales or the Information, Communication and Technology fields.
Having run the YEC program for multiple years now, Choo has seen a similar set of heightened challenges for even qualified skilled youth finding jobs in their field.
“They come in with the skills that they have, but they might not have the work experience in the sector… They might not have the business connections. We’re hoping through this [program’s] opportunity for them, they will pick a point to start and create a network,” says Choo.
Like Farris, Choo sees similar concerns about how general life issues and anxieties – both heightened by the pandemic – as well as a lack of in-person interaction feed into difficulties with finding or maintaining work.
“Some youth are experiencing increasing anxiety and isolation due to the pandemic… And a substantial number of marketing jobs are driven by person-to-person interactions during the pandemic. It makes it very challenging for the youth to apply their learned skills in an actual work environment,” says Choo. “They can go virtual, but the interaction with their peers and supervisors is not really there.”
The YEC program has a certain level of connection with employers themselves too. While the program mostly focuses on youth developing their own skills, Choo encourages employers to see youth as an opportunity for diversity.
“The youth bring in a lot of new ideas, being from a different generation. And many of them are very digitally inclined, and they’re quick learners. They could bring out-of-the-box thinking. They have different skill sets to bring. So, I think the opportunities can be there for them,” says Choo.
Green jobs for youth
One significant ray of hope for the province’s youth is the recently announced $45 million provincial youth jobs program. Among those opportunities are a variety of positions pertaining to ecological conservation and outdoor recreation sites.
Tori Ball, senior campaigner for the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (C-PAWS) notes that this is the second jobs program in the last year with a much-needed focus on serving B.C.’s outdoors.
“B.C. Parks has been dramatically underfunded for the last two decades. We got big bumps in the recent budget, but Recreation and Trails has also been dramatically underfunded for a long time and it’s an even smaller part of the budget than B.C. parks,” says Ball. “So, it was great to see some more staffing being able to go to upkeep those areas and that infrastructure, because it’s also a critical part of our recreation infrastructure in B.C.”
While these sectors have had a more short-term employment focus and a lack, at least historically, of long-term staff, Ball says that contract-based short-term positions can at least work well for many students and youth who have time open during B.C. parks’ busiest summer months, and could lead to greater and more long-term possibilities for those interested in the field.
“Working in conservation is an incredibly rewarding pathway and there’s multiple ways to go, but being able to have a contract with the provincial government is one great foot in the door to start your path,” says Ball.
As B.C. and the rest of Canada continue to grapple with COVID-19’s impact on the labour market, there’s some hope for a renewed, closer look at the youth who have been hit the hardest by the pandemic.
For more information, please visit:
