GENERATION JOBLESS delves into why so many young Canadians are overeducated and underemployed. The reality is that today's twenty-something's are entering an economy in the throes of a seismic shift where globalization and technology are transforming the workplace. Automation is replacing tens of thousands of jobs at a time. Companies fixated on the bottom line are outsourcing jobs and wherever possible getting computers to do the work. Employers are placing a higher premium on experienced workers, unwilling to invest in training new entrants to the workforce. So, young people are caught in a catch 22. How do you get experience if no one will hire you without it? Many are working for free as unpaid interns, just to try and get their foot in the door. And, for the first time in history youth are facing another unique challenge – competition with their parents' generation for the small pool of jobs that do exist. Boomers who are delaying retirement.
By all accounts the problem is only going to get worse. Especially since the key players in Canada –universities, employers and governments – are not working together to find a solution. Canada is the only country in the world without a national body responsible for education and is seen as one of the most decentralized and fragmented countries in the world when it comes to helping young people make a smooth entry into the world of work.
Several experts weigh in on what many are calling the most important social issue of our time – including Francis Fong, TD Bank Economist and author of the report The Plight of Younger Workers that paints a bleak picture of youth employment in Canada; Armine Yalnizyan Sr. Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives who has been tracking trends in the labour market for two decades; and Dr. Paul Cappon, former head of the Canadian Council on Learning a research and advocacy program focused on learning in Canada;
The documentary takes viewers to Switzerland where the youth unemployment rate is 2.8% - the lowest in the developed world. Here the idea of young people graduating with degrees and unable to find jobs is virtually unheard of. Dr. Stefan Wolter, Director of the Coordination Centre For Research In Education, explains how all levels of government, educators and employers, work together to ensure that education and training are linked to employment.
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Is less than an hour long. Well worth watching. Very applicable to what is happening in the USA as well.