Torontonians are feeling hopeless after struggling to get a job in the city, but these experts advise them to keep pushing.
For some people in the city, especially youth and recent graduates, finding a job in Toronto right now seems like an impossible task.
Videos of extraordinarily long job fair lineups, innovative job search strategies, and heated rants have become a common sight on social media, as more professionals in the city are struggling with getting a job.
In a recent viral video, a Canadian TikToker vents about his concerns over the job market in Toronto, while showing a video of a massive queue to enter a job fair at Dufferin Mall.
“This has been happening a lot lately all around the city. Whenever there’s a job fair, you have hundreds of people lined up around the building trying to get [an] opportunity,” he said.
Other creators are taking to social media to share their own frustrations over looking for work in the city right now, posting long rants about their job search, interview and networking tips and even vlogs of their lives as an unemployed Torontonian.
Toronto creator and comedian Ryan Durgy also went to social media to find out what is happening.
“I’ve been applying to everything that’s out there related to my field or even outside of my field, and even in general… There just [aren’t] that many jobs out there it seems.”
@ryandurgy The job market in Ontario / Canada seems so dry right now… what's going on? #fyp #ontario #canada #unemployment #jobs ♬ original sound – Ryan Durgy
WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE TORONTO JOB MARKET?
According to the latest data from StatsCan, 8.6 per cent of Toronto residents were unemployed in April, which is a 0.1 per cent drop from March. And although that might seem promising, there are also 27,700 fewer full-time positions available in the city than a month ago.
Another report by Indeed reveals that the drop in numbers follows a trend across the country, which is experiencing the worst job market in 20 years, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic, with an average 11.2 per cent unemployment rate in the first quarter of the year.
However, Indeed Canada Senior Economist Brendon Bernard says that job seekers are not to blame for their unsuccessful hunt in finding a full-time position.
According to him, besides being the biggest Canadian city, Toronto’s job trends seem to always be more intense compared to other parts of the country.
“There are fewer job opportunities in Toronto than there have been in recent years. So, coming out of the pandemic, it was actually a really good job market for job seekers. We saw Toronto job postings really rise, and there were tons of opportunities for job seekers. And this kind of trend, that sort of built up in 2021 and the first half of 2022. However, that trend has really reversed since then,” he said to Now Toronto on Friday.
After hiring numerous employees after the pandemic, developing a lack of trust in unstable economic trends, and dealing with the uncertainty created by the U.S. tariffs, many companies have simply stopped hiring, Berndard said.
“The economy… overall has been a bit softer over the past two to three years, and that’s one of the key factors that’s driven the weaker [market and] decline in job postings.”
“Lots of other people are in the same boat, but [do] not take it personally. It’s not your fault… Conditions this year are noticeably weaker than they were two years ago. But if you’re graduating this year, it’s not your fault you’re graduating in 2025 instead of 2022 or 2023 when the job market was stronger. Like, it’s bad luck,” Bernard said.
In fact, CEO of recruiting company Tempin Sid Nouar says that he is seeing nearly 80 per cent fewer job openings right now than in 2023 at this time.
He explains that with less jobs and more candidates, companies now have the ability to pick and choose their hires more carefully, ramping up the criteria even for entry-level positions.
“[There is] a massive difference. And when we submit candidates for jobs right now, employers are a lot more strict than they were two years ago,” he said.
“Because there was less choice available, they were turning a blind eye on small things like this. So, they were focused more on, ‘Are you able to do the job? Do you have the potential? Let’s go!’ Right now, they’re kind of a lot more selective in their approach.”
The more rigorous criteria affects especially young job seekers and recent graduates, who often have less skills and experience than other candidates competing alongside them for the same role.
“I’d say it’s kind of impacts job seekers of all ages, but job seekers who have more experience, especially if the type of role is in the field that they’re looking in, they’re gonna have a bit of a leg up, or they’re gonna have a more established resume than someone who’s just entering the labour market,” Bernard added.
TIPS FOR JOB SEEKERS
Although the current job market in Toronto right now can feel massively disappointing and hopeless, both experts say there’s definitely light at the end of the tunnel.
Bernard explained that the market is always going through ups and downs, and will probably improve in the upcoming years, like the uptick in jobs that occurred following the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Nouar says he expects job postings to start going up by next year, if not sooner.
“I believe that it will be another six months of this uncertainty. By the beginning of next year, I think things will be much better than whatever they are already, if not sooner. But I am really more of an optimist,” he said.
For now, the experts urge applicants to not lose hope and keep pushing forward.
The recruiting expert advises job seekers to focus on the aspects of the job search that they can control by polishing their resumes, practicing interviewing skills, doing extensive research on their industry, looking for networking opportunities and taking advantage of technology that help them find a job, like AI tools and job search platforms.
“It’s about patience, resilience. It’s about showing [that you are] not just sitting at home and lingering and crying. It’s about going out there and doing things in between,” he said. “Just by sitting at home, your mental health is going to get deteriorated. You’re not going to get as motivated. You’re not going to enter the job market properly.”
Meanwhile, Bernard also says that it is important for applicants to do something valuable with their free time instead of just applying.
“Whether it’s learning a new skill, things like volunteering. These aren’t great answers, of course, you [would] much rather be in a strong job market where you don’t have to worry about that…But if it’s a down year, it’s also important to make the best of a bad situation.”
