FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 17, 2025
QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario faces one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the country, and the Ford government has no plan to fix it. The Ontario Liberals are calling on the government to take urgent action to create good, long-lasting jobs for young people across the province.
“For too many young Ontarians, a diploma has become a ticket to disappointment,” said John Fraser, Ontario Liberal Parliamentary Leader and MPP for Ottawa South “Hard work and a good education used to guarantee success in this province. Now, young people are struggling to find entry-level work and build a future here at home.”
Recent statistics paint a stark picture. Summer job postings are down 22%, yet the government continues to ignore young workers while prioritizing handouts to friends and insiders. Statistics Canada reports the average wait for a young person to find a job in Ontario is now three and a half months—the longest since 1996 and the worst in Canada. Over 200,000 young Ontarians are actively looking for work, while the Premier’s only advice is to “look harder.”
“According to the latest CFIB survey, twice as many Ontario small businesses plan to reduce staff over the next four months than hire new workers. The outlook for job seekers, especially young people, remains bleak,” said Stephanie Bowman, Ontario Liberal critic for Finance and MPP for Don Valley West. “When that exciting first job seems impossible to find, our next generation finds it impossible to find hope.”
But youth unemployment is a lot more than an economic statistic, it’s hundreds of thousands of young people who can’t afford rent or groceries and have to delay the start of their careers. No young person should be underemployed or living in economic uncertainty when Ontario’s future depends on them.
The Ontario Liberals are demanding immediate action. Ontario needs a Youth Career Fund now.
Ontario Liberals raised the minimum wage, and now we’re asking for Doug Ford to do his part to set our youth up for success. Our Youth Career Fund would create between 47,000 and 75,000 youth jobs using funds already allocated in the Protecting Ontario Account. The fund would cover 49% of twenty 35-hour weeks at minimum wage, at a total cost of $450 million. 75,000 new youth jobs would lower Ontario’s youth unemployment rate to 10.3%, well below the national average.
“The Ford government must stop ignoring this crisis,” said Tyler Watt, Ontario Liberal critic for Colleges & University, and MPP for Nepean. “Investing in young people is an investment in the future of our economy and our communities. Instead of investing in our young workers, the government continues to underfund colleges and universities — the very institutions that prepare Ontarians for the jobs of tomorrow.”
Media Contact:
Lorne Levy | (416) 931-8384 | [email protected]