Canadian youth hiring slows across AI exposure groups

What the evidence measures

For ages 15–29, hiring rates fell from 2.9% to 2.5% in high-exposure, high-complementarity occupations; 3.2% to 3.0% in high-exposure, low-complementarity jobs; and 4.0% to 3.3% in low-exposure jobs. These compare six-month averages ending November 2022 and August 2026.

Published October 28, the analysis uses seasonally adjusted Labour Force Survey data from January 2006. Hiring means one-month tenure as a share of employees. Separations are inferred from hires minus employment changes, covering all departure reasons. They are not a layoff count. Occupational exposure is potential, not observed adoption; these descriptive comparisons do not establish causation.

Sources: Statistics Canada

Our interpretation: keep two questions open

Imagine a careers team reviewing applications for an invented employer. A stable staff total could conceal a closed graduate intake. The team could ask separately how many positions accepted new entrants and how many people left, then record the period and population behind each answer.

For your own search, a useful exercise is to keep a dated list of suitable openings and the experience each requires. Record an employer’s stated reason for a closure only when one is available. A missing advert leaves the reason unknown. This is our suggested way to organize a search, not a tested intervention or a forecast for any occupation.