Calgary’s largest youth fair attracts thousands of jobseekers
Posted Apr 7, 2023 9:55 am.
Last Updated Apr 7, 2023 10:04 am.
Calgary’s Youth Hiring Fair 2023, the largest of its kind in the city, opened to a full house of youth aged 15 to 24 at Stampede Park Thursday.
This comes as Calgary’s unemployment rate stayed at 6.6 percent, according to StatsCan, the highest among cities in Canada.
But that’s not stopping dozens of youth from looking for work and dozens of employers who are looking to hire.
Thousands lined up in the sun to enter the Big Four Building and try their luck at landing a job.
![Queues outside the Big Four Building at Stampede Park Job Fair People wait in long lines to attend the Youth Hiring Fair at the Big Four Building in Calgary](https://calgary.citynews.ca/wp-content/blogs.dir/sites/8/2023/04/07/Queues-outside-the-Big-Four-Building-at-Stampede-Park-Job-Fair-1024x768.jpg)
People wait in long lines to attend the Youth Hiring Fair at the Big Four Building in Calgary on Thursday, April 6, 2023. (Henna Saeed, CityNews image)
One young job seeker, Gabriel Ting, told CityNews her generation has suffered the most due to the pandemic, and they are ready to bounce back to change society’s perception of Gen-Z.
“Our generation has been through COVID-19. Myself and so many other people I know are working so hard to try and find a job, and in this economy and in this climate, it’s just been so hard,” she said.
“I don’t think we’re lazy. I think we’re just victims of circumstances for sure.”
Another young jobseeker, Zachary Skinner, shares the same concerns as Ting.
“I think that most of us are really hard workers. We just got to find the right position for it. You got to find something you enjoy,” he said.
![Gabriel Ting at the job fair Gabriel Ting speaks with CityNews at the Youth Hiring Fair in the Big Four Building within Stampede Park in Calgary](https://calgary.citynews.ca/wp-content/blogs.dir/sites/8/2023/04/07/Gabriel-Ting-at-the-job-fair-1024x576.jpg)
Gabriel Ting speaks with CityNews at the Youth Hiring Fair in the Big Four Building within Stampede Park in Calgary on Thursday, April 6, 2023. (Henna Saeed, CityNews image)
Many industries for youth to choose from
The annual youth hiring fair is an initiative by the City of Calgary’s Youth Employment Centre that provides young people with a chance to meet over 80 employers from various industries.
This includes food and hospitality, customer service, telecom, and emergency services such as police and the fire brigade, all under one roof.
With the province announcing the hiring of 100 new police officers in Calgary and Edmonton, the Calgary Police Service booth seemed to be one of the busiest ones at the fair.
Related Stories:
-
‘Enough is enough’: Alberta to recruit 100 police officers for Calgary, Edmonton
-
Calgary puts forward ‘immediate’ action to address transit safety
Job seeker James Paxton said he is all set to join the force to combat the crime in the city.
“There will be new jobs in police, so I want to apply and become a police officer,” Paxton said.
“I am young, and they need talent like me to keep Calgary safe, so why not me.”
![Calgary Police Stall at the Job Fair A Calgary Police Service (CPS) officer stands at a booth at the Youth Hiring Fair in Calgary](https://calgary.citynews.ca/wp-content/blogs.dir/sites/8/2023/04/07/Calgary-Police-Stall-at-the-Job-Fair-1024x768.jpg)
A Calgary Police Service (CPS) officer, centre, stands and smiles at a booth among a few jobseekers at the Youth Hiring Fair in Calgary on Thursday, April 6, 2023. (Henna Saeed, CityNews image)
While thousands showed up to experience the recruitment and hiring process at the job fair this year, some wonder if this can actually fill the gap between job seekers and the industry.
Tara Huxley, the Community Programs and Services Coordinator at the Youth Employment Centre, says its definitely worth a try.
“This can surely be a bridging gap. Many of these employers honestly know that they’re looking for 15 or 16 to 24-year-olds. And so some of those positions are entry-level positions,” she said.
“And if an employer is willing to invest and hire and coach young person and the young person wants to be invested in and wants to show up and learn and have the opportunity for jobs, then I think it can be a great partnership.”
Excitement and hope
![Youth at the Job Fair 2023 Youth and employers alike attend the Youth Job Fair inside the Big Four Building within Stampede Park in Calgary](https://calgary.citynews.ca/wp-content/blogs.dir/sites/8/2023/04/07/Youth-at-the-Job-Fair-2023-1024x768.jpg)
Youth and employers alike attend the Youth Hiring Fair inside the Big Four Building within Stampede Park in Calgary on Thursday, April 7, 2023. (Henna Saeed, CityNews image)
Among the thousands of applicants at the fair, there were some nervous first-time job seekers with big hopes and even bigger dreams.
Seventeen-year-old student Adriana Chu shared her excitement with CityNews.
“I’m a little bit nervous, but I’m excited mostly to just hopefully find something to work, I mean some work for the summer. I feel like this is a good event for people to have job experiences and look for that,” she said.
Another young student who had brought his mom for moral support, Daniel Montan, said he was there just for the experience.
“I’m nervous. I’m not expecting anything but not I am gonna go for opportunities and see how it goes,” he said.
Related Stories:
-
Economy keeps adding jobs as population grows, despite high interest rates
-
Canadian economy adds 35,000 jobs in March, unemployment rate steady at 5%
The job fair not only gave youngsters the opportunity to apply for jobs at the company stalls, but some employers also conducted on-site interviews and hired people on the spot.
Some got lucky, others got hope.