Surviving Youth Unemployment

Why it’s not impossible for young people to get jobs in a baby boomer’s world 

By: Tiffany Narducci, Staff Writer
“You are graduating into a big, black hole” – A sentence my professors repeated on a depressingly regular basis to my graduating class.

As a journalism student in the 21^st century, my fellow classmates and I were being constantly reminded that our field of study was drastically changing – schools were struggling to update their curriculum, jobs were scarce, and career paths were no longer as predictable as they once were.

The fact is, this vacuous, career abyss (as described by my teachers) is not only limited to the field of journalism – across the board, graduates all over Canada have been struggling to breech the boundary from student to employee.

Since the beginning of the recession in 2008, youth unemployment (which covers ages 15-24) has been hovering at 14 percent, and has discouragingly made little progression over the last five years. Last month, the youth unemployment rate in Canada rose to 13.8 percent, from 13.6 percent in May – nearly double the national average.

While the harsh economic climate has meant that many young Canadians have been struggling to break into the workforce, it has also left many baby boomers trapped within it.

Older generations, now struggling with less than satisfactory pensions and a volatile economic climate, are increasingly remaining within the workforce for longer periods of time. Further, according to Statistics Canada, when young applicants come head-to-head with their older counterparts in these contests, they rarely get the upper hand when it comes to who will get the job.

Though these statistics may seem all doom and gloom for those currently bracing themselves for the unemployment supernova, don’t despair just yet – there is still hope to be had.

Although boomers may be holding onto their jobs for longer, they are still considered an aging workforce that employers are actively seeking to replenish.

“It’s incredibly important […] to keep building our talent,” says Marilyn Reddick, VP of Human Resources and Organizational Development at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, one of Canada’s top youth employers. “One of our goals is to invest in our staff, it’s very important to have that balance.”

So just how can millenials bridge the gap from student to employee without tumbling into the void of unemployment?

According to Rasheeda Wright, Co-op Career Counselor at Carleton University, one of the most important things millenials must remember is that today’s workplace environment is in many ways very different from that of baby boomers.

“Work and the way that people look for work has changed – younger workers becoming more savvy to that idea and looking at the tools now being used is necessary.” she says.

Sixty years ago, it was possible for segments of the population to become employed immediately upon exiting high school, and maintain the same job for several decades. Wright says the days of settling into a long-term career are becoming increasingly numbered in 2013.

Rather, she says, employment opportunities have become more “ebb and flow” in nature. Jobs that were once necessary have been replaced with technology. Further, older employees remaining in the workforce for longer periods of time has meant less long-term opportunities for newer employees. Consequently, new applicants are now typically awarded jobs on a contract basis.

Taking these factors into consideration, it’s important not to get discouraged at the seemingly unstable employment prospects ahead. Contrary to the rigid career paths once followed by our parents, the ever-changing nature of today’s economy has meant that millennial workers are more flexible, civic-minded, and able to create change than their older counterparts.

That unwavering flexibility and resourcefulness when conducting a job search and while building your resume will ultimately make you stand out amongst your peers, says Wright.

“It’s important to gain experience in whatever way possible,” she says. “Start thinking about career stuff as soon as possible. As much as possible, try to start thinking about ‘What do I like? What do I like doing?’”

One of the biggest difficulties facing young job seekers is the increasing number of qualifications required to apply for most jobs – degrees, experience, volunteer work, etc. – whereas it was not uncommon to settle into a position in the past with little or no education.

That being said, Wright says the best thing you can do if you are under-qualified for that dream job is to get as much experience as you can – even if that means not getting paid.

With youth unemployment sitting at almost double the national average, making the most of volunteer and internship opportunities puts you at an advantage in the application process, allows for networking opportunities and will help you better gauge your own interests.

Translating your passion into a workplace skill or qualification is another crucial way to ensure millenials are making the most out of the job application process and securing the jobs they desire. The biggest issue amongst unsuccessful applicants and volunteers at Sunnybrook, Reddick says, is a lack of career focus.

According to Reddick, the biggest favour millenials can do for themselves is career pathing- that is, actually taking the time to pick a interest, passion or career position that suits you. Then once you’ve determined where your interests lie, capitalize on the resources at your disposal to explicitly map out what career is most suitable to you and how to acquire a specific job.

“[One of the hardest things] is guiding applicants who aren’t profession specific yet.” she says. “If you want to be a lawyer, or a doctor that’s very exact in the steps you have to take. But if you come out of school with just a general honours BA but you haven’t gotten that experience yet its very difficult.”

While earning a degree is an important step for young job applicants to distinguish themselves in the existing competitive job market, it is also crucial to identify and build on your skills and interests, and finally be able to communicate these abilities in a way that is relevant to potential employers, says Reddick.

To be sure, the skills and interests of a twenty-something in 2013 are not going to be the same as they were 60 years ago – and that’s not a bad thing.

Millenials adaptability and social nature has allowed them to harbor a variety of skills that are useful in the workplace and that employers actively seek out.

For example, (although I’m sure you’ve heard it a million times) social media has had a strong impact on the workplace attitude of many youth in a positive way.

Communication is a key aspect of this – and I don’t just mean through Twitter and Facebook. Younger generations are more aware (and have typically mastered) so many different methods of communication that many employers have yet to dabble in. Your knowledge of various apps, websites, smartphones, and video calling can be an invaluable asset to many people in the office, so be sure to include it in your resume.

Further, young generations use of social media has not only created a society of young people who enjoy building relationships (look at how many friends you have on Facebook!) and who prioritize transparency – essentially, our every waking moment is documented and logged through these social media sites. While this may seem like a far stretch, these are characteristics employers look for – be sure to communicate that in a professional manner.

That being said, young people must also use the tools at their disposal to determine and capitalize on how work and the way people work is changing. Although mom and dad are valuable sources of information, applying for a job now may be very different from the last time your parents were in the job market.  Seek out people who are in the field you’re interested in (family members, friends parents, acquaintances) and reach out to them for advice.

Wright also stresses that 80-85 percent of jobs are not posted. Go out and do some legwork, hand out resumes in person and keep networking. Remember: the Internet doesn’t actually have the answer to everything.

So for those of you bracing yourself for the “black hole” of joblessness, don’t get discouraged just yet. The next time you find yourself despairing over not having a career position or even a fulltime job, ask yourself: have you tried all the avenues possible? How can you expand on your resume? How can you communicate your skills in a professional manner? And lastly, have you engaged in some good, old fashioned conversation with any professionals in your field?

While today’s job market is highly different from that of our parents and even a little bit scarcer, there are definitely still jobs to be had for young professionals who are adaptable, energetic and ready to embrace change – just make sure you’ve set yourself up to be one of them!

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Tiffany Narducci is a master’s candidate in Political Science at Carleton University in Ottawa, where she also completed her undergraduate degree in Journalism. She is passionate about international politics and how they affect humanitarian relief efforts, and hopes to begin a career in international development.