Rodrigo Huerta Aguirre –
With unemployment in Ontario standing at 15.8 per cent among those aged 15 to 24, young people in the Downtown East are coping with the help of job agencies and social services.
Last year, Maverick Kozai, 21, decided to take a break from his studies at York University and focus on finding a job. “I love theatre, and I love performing,” he said. “But it just wasn’t looking like the best job prospect.”
Like other Ontario post-secondary institutions, York University announced in February it was suspending and downsizing several programs, citing budgetary pressures as student enrollment fell.
Kozai joined a program offered by the Hospitality Workers Training Centre, a not-for-profit helping vulnerable groups find service jobs. There he received training, certifications and resume-building advice.
“I was just looking for a job, anything, in any field, because I was hearing about the struggles of getting a job from my classmates. I can hear it on the news every day,” he said.
After completing the program, Kozai was hired as a busboy at El Catrin Destileria in the Distillery District. “Take advantage of everything you see [that] sets out for you,” he said. The training centre’s executive director, Kelly Palton, told the bridge, “It’s very challenging for youth. There’s definitely not as many positions available and youth are struggling. We have to really work on the relationships that we have with employers to help our participants find jobs.”
Palton says employers should form closer ties with candidates to make the hiring process less “painful” for young people. Online applications “need to be reconsidered,” she said. “I get why they have them, but from a job seeker’s standpoint, it’s frustrating.”
Saleha Yosufi, 24, left Afghanistan two years ago in search of a safer and more stable life in Canada. But as a young newcomer she faced barriers.
“I had challenges with the language, with the culture, with everything. And I didn’t have any experience,” she said. “When I went to some locations, they asked me, ‘Do you have any experience in Canada?’ It was tough to explain myself.”
For a year and a half, Yosufi survived on Ontario Works assistance and personal savings while improving her skills and education at an adult learning centre. She signed up with the hospitality training centre after seeing a poster and now works as a kitchen assistant at Sojourn House on Ontario Street. “[The program] made a big difference,” she said.
Like Yosufi, Ontario Works recipients are eligible to receive financial aid, community resources and job referrals from Toronto Employment and Social Services (TESS). As of August, about a quarter of Ontario Works applicants supported by TESS were aged 16 to 29, a city spokesperson told the bridge.
Other resources in the Downtown East can help young job seekers from challenged backgrounds.
To support Black and Indigenous, newcomer and 2LGBTQ+ youth, the city operates 20 Enhanced Youth Spaces — including in Regent Park and St. James Town — that offer free and supervised support and programming. This year, 700 youth completed the Building Skills Through Recreation program, and over 750 pre-employment certifications were awarded.
At the YMCA, a spokesperson told the bridge, youth who are new to Canada can access the Barrett YMCA Centre for Newcomers to Canada on Bloor Street East to develop leadership skills and grow their social networks. “We recognize that this is a challenging time for many job seekers.”
