Students Facing Dismal Summer Job Market

OTTAWA, June 17 2015 /CNW/ - Students continue to be among the hardest hit by a lack of good jobs. According to Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey for May 2015, the unemployment rate for students was 15.1%, an increase of 1.5% compared to last year.

"Students who have been unable to find work this summer will be forced to take on more debt in order to cover the cost of post-secondary education this fall," said Bilan Arte, National Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students. "Summer jobs are not a luxury for students; they are a necessity."

Tuition fees have become the single largest expense for university and college students with average domestic tuition fees of almost $6,000 per year. Canada's students owe more than $15 billion in student debt to the federal government and the Canada Student Loans Program expects that more than 40% of borrowers will require more than the maximum amount of loans next year.

"The federal government has failed to take action to address skyrocketing tuition fees, high student debt and a lack of good jobs for students," said Arte. "By not moving to reduce student debt, the government has ignored an essential component of building a strong economy."

The Canadian Federation of Students' recommendations to improve youth employment include:

• Doubling the annual investment in the Youth Employment Strategy to ensure program effectiveness
• Developing a strategy to increase employment and training opportunities, investing in collaborative employment training with schools, businesses, and unions
• Ending exploitative unpaid internships and guaranteeing workplace health and safety protections for all workers

The Canadian Federation of Students is Canada's largest student organisation, uniting more than half of a million students across Canada. The Canadian Federation of Students and its predecessor organisations have represented students in Canada since 1927.

SOURCE Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario

Sarah McCue, Communications Coordinator at 613-232-7394 or [email protected]