From: Parisa Mahboubi and Tingting Zhang To: Labour force observers Date: June 22, 2026 Re: A Difficult Start: Youth Unemployment and the Cost of Doing Nothing The June jobs report appeared to offer welcome news for young Canadians: Youth unemployment fell nearly a full percentage point in a single month. Unfortunately, a closer look reveals a more troubling reality. The decline was driven not […]
Consistent with its historical sensitivity to economic conditions, youth labour market outcomes deteriorated markedly between 2022 and 2025, with divergence between teenagers and young adults. The increase in 2025 was particularly pronounced among teenagers (aged 15-19), whose unemployment rate was roughly 20 percent, reflecting challenges in part-time and student employment. Unemployment among young adults aged 20-24 […]
Recent employment data for tariff-exposed industries like motor vehicle and parts manufacturing demonstrates the importance of CUSMA to Canadian businesses. Motor vehicle and parts manufacturing experienced a significant decline in employment since January 2025, with employment declining nearly 6 percent from January 2025 to March 2026. While it may not be realistic for Canada-US trade […]
by Parisa Mahboubi and Tingting Zhang In 2025, Canada’s labour market cooled as employment growth slowed, unemployment rose, and job vacancies declined from the unusually tight conditions seen after the pandemic. Trade tensions with the United States, slower immigration-driven labour force growth, and technological change contributed to increasingly uneven labour market outcomes across regions, sectors, […]
May 28, 2026 – Trade uncertainty, weak productivity growth and technological change, along with demographic shifts, are reshaping Canada’s labour market, increasing risks for trade-exposed jobs and our future economic growth, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “2025 Labour Market Review: Trade Uncertainty, Structural Pressures, and Policy Priorities for Canada,” […]
28 mai 2026 – L’incertitude commerciale, la faible croissance de la productivité et les changements technologiques, combinés aux transformations démographiques, redéfinissent le marché du travail canadien, accentuant les risques pour les emplois exposés aux échanges commerciaux et pour la croissance économique future du pays, selon un nouveau rapport de l’C.D. Howe Institute. Dans « 2025 […]
Youth unemployment in Canada is soaring, entry-level jobs demand years of experience, and many Gen Z graduates are wondering if AI will replace the careers they studied for. In this episode, economist and Wilfred Laurier professor Tammy Schirle breaks down what’s really happening in the job market — and why young Canadians are struggling more […]
Youth unemployment in Canada is soaring, entry-level jobs demand years of experience, and many Gen Z graduates are wondering if AI will replace the careers they studied for. In this episode, economist and Wilfred Laurier professor Tammy Schirle breaks down what’s really happening in the job market — and why young Canadians are struggling more […]
May 6, 2026 – As Canada’s economic data begin to reflect slower population growth, it may appear weaker than in the past, even when the economy is operating close to capacity. With immigration targets now reduced, slower employment and GDP growth will increasingly reflect demographic constraints rather than economic underperformance, according to a new report […]
6 mai 2026 – À mesure que les données économiques du Canada commencent à refléter un ralentissement de la croissance démographique, elles peuvent paraître plus faibles qu’auparavant, même lorsque l’économie fonctionne près de sa capacité. Avec la réduction des cibles d’immigration, le ralentissement de l’emploi et de la croissance du PIB reflétera de plus en […]
by Don Drummond and Parisa Mahboubi Canada’s reduced immigration targets mark a structural shift in labour force growth that will make economic data look weaker than in the past, even when the economy is operating close to capacity. The risk is not poor performance, but misinterpretation. Under a baseline scenario, employment is projected to decline […]
To: Childcare observers From: Parisa Mahboubi and Tingting Zhang Date: April 27, 2026 Re: Affordable but Unavailable: National Childcare’s Supply Crisis Ottawa’s $10-a-day childcare plan was supposed to make life easier. But for many families, it’s made care harder to find. Three years into the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC), fees for regulated childcare have fallen sharply. But demand has surged far faster than supply. Waitlists have exploded, and […]
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From: Parisa Mahboubi and Tingting Zhang To: Labour force observers Date: June 22, 2026 Re: A Difficult Start: Youth Unemployment and the Cost of Doing Nothing The June jobs report appeared to offer welcome news for young Canadians: Youth unemployment fell nearly a full percentage point in a single month. Unfortunately, a closer look reveals a more troubling reality. The decline was driven not […] 
Consistent with its historical sensitivity to economic conditions, youth labour market outcomes deteriorated markedly between 2022 and 2025, with divergence between teenagers and young adults. The increase in 2025 was particularly pronounced among teenagers (aged 15-19), whose unemployment rate was roughly 20 percent, reflecting challenges in part-time and student employment. Unemployment among young adults aged 20-24 […] 
Recent employment data for tariff-exposed industries like motor vehicle and parts manufacturing demonstrates the importance of CUSMA to Canadian businesses. Motor vehicle and parts manufacturing experienced a significant decline in employment since January 2025, with employment declining nearly 6 percent from January 2025 to March 2026. While it may not be realistic for Canada-US trade […] 
by Parisa Mahboubi and Tingting Zhang In 2025, Canada’s labour market cooled as employment growth slowed, unemployment rose, and job vacancies declined from the unusually tight conditions seen after the pandemic. Trade tensions with the United States, slower immigration-driven labour force growth, and technological change contributed to increasingly uneven labour market outcomes across regions, sectors, […] 
Youth unemployment in Canada is soaring, entry-level jobs demand years of experience, and many Gen Z graduates are wondering if AI will replace the careers they studied for. In this episode, economist and Wilfred Laurier professor Tammy Schirle breaks down what’s really happening in the job market — and why young Canadians are struggling more […] 
by Don Drummond and Parisa Mahboubi Canada’s reduced immigration targets mark a structural shift in labour force growth that will make economic data look weaker than in the past, even when the economy is operating close to capacity. The risk is not poor performance, but misinterpretation. Under a baseline scenario, employment is projected to decline […] 
To: Childcare observers From: Parisa Mahboubi and Tingting Zhang Date: April 27, 2026 Re: Affordable but Unavailable: National Childcare’s Supply Crisis Ottawa’s $10-a-day childcare plan was supposed to make life easier. But for many families, it’s made care harder to find. Three years into the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC), fees for regulated childcare have fallen sharply. But demand has surged far faster than supply. Waitlists have exploded, and […]