StatCan found that Teenagers Lost Jobs during Covid-19 at Historic Level

In January, employment among youth aged 15 to 24 fell by 108,000 (-4.6%), reaching its lowest level since August 2020. Female youth employment declined by 69,000 (-6.1%) and was further behind (-17.4%) than any other significant demographic group (pre-COVID February 2020). Male youth employment declined by 39,000 (-3.3 percent) in February 2020 and was 11.6 percent lower.

Part-time losses (-72,000; -14.8 percent) were slightly offset by full-time gains (+33,000; +4.7 percent) for male youngsters in January. Female youth, on the other hand, had a decrease in both full-time (-27,000; -5.3%) and part-time (-41,000; -6.6%) employment. Part-time job losses in January were concentrated in the retail trade for both young men and young women (not seasonally adjusted).

In January, job losses among teenagers aged 15 to 19 were more than twice as high (-74,000; -9.3% ) as among those aged 20 to 24. (-34,000; -2.2 percent ). Employment for teenagers was further from pre-pandemic levels in January than it was for those in their early 20s in February 2020, reversing recent trends.

In January, the young unemployment rate increased 1.9 percentage points to 19.7%, the highest level since August. A surge in the number of female youth on temporary layoff contributed to the increase in the unemployment rate. Teenagers' unemployment rate rose faster (+2.5 percentage points to 24.0 percent) than that of 20- to 24-year-olds (+1.7 percentage points to 17.5 percent). In January, the youth participation rate declined 1.4 percentage points to 62.0 percent, owing completely to a decrease in the number of teens in the labor force (-3.1 percentage points to 46.0 percent ).

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