Calgary’s youth hiring fair connects employers with young job seekers
Karra Smith, Staff Writer
Youth unemployment rates have been on a steady incline over the past decade. With many Albertans aged 15 to 24 feeling the pressure, the city’s 27th annual youth hiring fair proved to be a hot spot for young job seekers.
According to a report by Stats Canada, the unemployment rate for youth across the country reached 14.1 per cent in February of this year, inching closer to the recent high of 14.6 per cent in September 2025.
Excluding 2020 and 2021, these numbers are the highest they have been since 2010.
Provincially, July 2025 showed an unemployment rate of 20 per cent among youth—the highest it has been since December 2020.
But with the annual hiring fair, young Calgarians have the chance to connect with 80 employers and hear about a variety of different job opportunities, with some individuals being interviewed and hired on the spot.
Hardeep Seeghat, a community liaison with the Youth Employment Centre (YEC), says the goal for the event is to create a space where the value of youth seeking employment is recognised.
“So, ultimately, our hope is that if an employer sees a youth today, they understand that youth may have a lot to offer, whether it’s a new perspective, new energy, they are also keener,” says Seeghat.
When it comes to the need for additional work, Seeghat says the City of Calgary acknowledges the tough nature of the economy and hopes that by continuing to host the job fair and offer resume assistance through the YEC, the Calgary employment field will grow for young adults and teens.
“We know that youth are navigating a very challenging job market right now, but that being said, it’s not that there are no opportunities out there,” Seeghat says.
The youth hiring event gives people the chance to meet with multiple types of
employers and explore various industries in Calgary. Photo by Karra Smith
While the event itself can be very helpful for many youth, some find the wait times to get inside the building and the sheer volume of attendees to be a challenging part.
Damian Michaud waited for roughly two hours to get in, and with approximately 5,000 individuals coming through the event over its 4.5-hour duration, finding a job there still felt quite daunting.
“I’d like for an event that happens quarterly every couple of months throughout the year, so there aren’t as many people going to one thing at one time,” says Michaud.
After graduating in 2020, Michaud worked a few jobs, but he says it has not been enough to take care of himself and his loved ones.
“It sucks being broke, not being able to support my family, especially struggling in the area we are in,” he says.“It’s very hard to find work, especially with everyone else trying to find work.”
And this sentiment has echoed throughout the province.
While increasing unemployment rates have been a stressor for many teens and young adults, the concerns have not fallen on deaf ears.
In efforts to address the growing job crisis for youth, the Alberta government introduced an $8 million initiative back in September of 2025 to incentivise companies to hire young people.
The Alberta Youth Employment incentive provides eligible businesses the opportunity to be awarded up to $7,500 dollars for hiring three to five youth for a minimum of 750 hours combined or $4,000 for hiring one to two youth for a minimum of 400 hours combined.
While the program is beneficial for employers, youth who take part in the initiative can be rewarded with a ‘Ready2Work’ digital badge.
According to a report by CBC, the Alberta minister of jobs, economy, trade and immigration, Joseph Schow, says this badge can be put on a resume and highlight to employers a young person’s previous experience.
