It took eight months for Abyssinnia Abebe to find a job.

Abebe, from Ethiopia originally, is now a permanent resident in Canada. Even with that status, the 20 year old immigrant university student, says she applied to more than 150 jobs within that eight-month period. 

The struggle to find a job is not a unique problem.

Unemployment among immigrants aged 15 to 24 with permanent residency status has risen 58.9 per cent from August 2023 to August 2024, according to an analysis by Capital Current of data Statistics Canada uses to track unemployment among immigrants. 

“Finding the job itself, I found it very hard. I was looking very actively during the year too. I would send out resumes everywhere I could find. Then I would either not hear back or have interviews but then [they wouldn’t] get back to me,” said Abebe. 

The leader of the federal New Democratic Party says he sees unemployment affecting all young people. 

“It's a big issue, whether born here, or came here. There's just a major issue around unemployment for young people,” Jagmeet Singh said, during an interview with Capital Current outside a student campaign event on Carleton University’s campus. 

Jagmeet Singh talks to university students at Carleton University recently. Singh attended the meet and greet event hosted by the Carleton and the University of Ottawa’s NDP student clubs. [Photo @ Douaa Qadadia]

“We need to make sure immigration numbers meet our requirements. So whether it's for jobs, whether it's for [an] aging population, we need to make sure the numbers are in line with what we need, and that we have enough resources to welcome people,” Singh said.

Abebe finally found work through the Federal Student Work Experience Program, which is designed to help undergraduate and graduate students find work in the federal public service.

Abebe said a majority of jobs she applied to put her in competition with graduates with degrees and required her to have completed a bachelor’s degree. For the then second-year student, this meant an onslaught of job rejections.

Michelle Carbert, with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, in a written response to questions from Capital Current, said “Newcomer youth face additional barriers to employment compared to non-newcomer youth.” 

Carbert pointed to “cultural and language barriers, [difficulty] obtaining recognition of foreign education and work experience and a lack of Canadian work experience or professional networks” as possible reasons for the struggle the students face.  

Not only is finding employment harder for newcomers compared to Canadian citizens, but older immigrants have an easier time finding work than younger immigrants, said Carbert.

“The settlement journey of newcomer youth is distinct from adult newcomers. In recognition of this, programming has been prioritized to ensure that newcomer youth have the support and opportunity they need to realize their potential,” said Carbert. 

High immigrant youth unemployment can also be attributed to the fact that “while the principal applicant in an economic program often has employment secured upon arrival, accompanying spouses and older dependents may not,” said Carbert. 

All permanent residents are eligible for settlement services before and after they arrive in Canada. Last year 182,200 settlement program clients who were 15 to 30 years old took advantage of the program. The services include needs assessments and referrals, employment-related services, information and orientation, and language training (for youth leaving school only).

Abebe says with her employment contract ending in December, she is worried about having to find her next job.

“I pay for my own rent and food. I just didn’t want to be a burden on my parents. I wanted to have a job so that I can support myself.” 

“It’s worrying, the job market, the insecurity, everything,” said Abebe.

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