News Young Workers
Just 2 in 5 companies plan to hire new grads this year

Although Canadian companies continue to show interest in hiring university and college grads, newly minted alumni face a weaker job market compared to the previous few years, according to a recent Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll.

The survey found two in five companies (43 per cent) plan to hire recent graduates this year, down from 49 per cent in the first half of 2023 and 47 per cent in the second half of 2022.

The job market for vocational/career tech graduates has also dipped, with less than a quarter (23 per cent) of employers planning to hire from this group, compared to 30 per cent in 2022.

Hiring managers also report lowered hiring plans for students, with 33 per cent saying they plan to hire university or college students in 2024 — down from 38 per cent in 2023 — and 18 per cent planning to hire high school students — down compared to 19 per cent in 2023.

“The hiring landscape is strained for everyone right now which makes it tough for job seekers, and the competition is fierce,” said Brent Pollington, an Express franchise owner in Vancouver. “Recent university and college graduates are competing against unemployed job seekers who have previous experience, newly landed and well-educated immigrants and their fellow graduating cohorts.”

Full-time employee demand surges

Canadian businesses are looking to hire in many key departments right now, including customer service (22 per cent), sales (22 per cent), general labour (18 per cent), IT/technology support (15 per cent), administrative/office clerical (15 per cent) and accounting and finance (14 per cent).

Three-quarters of companies plan to hire full-time employees this year (75 per cent, up from 70 per cent who planned to hire last year), either hourly (46 per cent) or salaried (44 per cent).

One-quarter of companies plan to hire seasonal, temporary or contract workers (24 per cent).