As the world celebrates International Youth Day on August 12, the Canadian Labour Congress is asking the federal government and employers to invest more in job training and employment opportunities to help young Canadians break away from the ongoing cycle of precarious work and unemployment.
In Diving without a parachute: Young Canadians versus a precarious economy – released today – the CLC breaks down some of the challenges and opportunities currently facing young workers in Canada.
“Young workers are dealing with exceptionally high rates of unemployment or underemployment, and have been for many years. They are also carrying unbelievably high levels of student debt; the average student graduates owing over $25,000. We are not setting young people up for success,” said CLC president Hassan Yussuff.
“This perfectly demonstrates the importance of a national jobs strategy, a $15 minimum wage and the expansion of the CPP. Young workers will benefit from these measures,” Yussuff added.
Diving without a parachute celebrates millennials as one of the most civic-minded and activist generations in history, and shows that union density among young workers is on the rise.
Later this year, the CLC is hosting a National Young Workers’ Summit which will bring together hundreds of young workers and activists from across the country to discuss among other issues precarious work, income inequality, and the need for a just transition to a clean energy economy.
“Young workers are a politically-conscious group and increasingly active in their unions. Their leadership in workplaces and unions will shape the future of work and how we respond to the precarious economy,” said Yussuff.
Diving without a parachute is based on the CLC’s comprehensive report Diverse, Engaged, and Precariously Employed: An in-depth look at young workers in Canada.
