|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Mentoring as a Catalyst for Youth Employment: Youth Voice Report (Mentor Canada)
Drawing on youth engagement data from the Students Commission of Canada and a national survey and interviews conducted through Mentor Canada and SRDC’s Unlocking Doors study, this report centres young people’s own perspectives on what makes mentorship effective. It finds that youth most value mentors who are trustworthy, non-judgmental and genuinely invested in their growth, and that culturally responsive mentorship is especially important for Black, Indigenous and newcomer youth. The report also highlights a preference for peer-to-peer and community-based mentoring over school-based supports, and identifies a persistent gap in consistent, individualized mentorship during the transition from high school to post-secondary education or employment.
Today’s Graduates: Securian Canada Insights (Securian Canada)
Based on a survey fielded with Angus Reid Group, this report finds that nearly four in five recent Canadian graduates are optimistic about their financial future, even as many face real financial strain. While 81% are employed and 73% believe their post-secondary education has set them up for a better financial future, nearly half could cover less than three months of expenses if their income stopped today, and more than three-quarters carry some form of debt. The report finds these pressures are delaying major milestones, with more than half of graduates postponing homeownership and roughly one-quarter delaying marriage or starting a family.
2026 Manufacturing Workforce Report (Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters)
Based on roundtables held with manufacturers, educators and workforce partners across six Ontario regions, this third CME workforce report finds that persistent shortages in skilled trades such as millwrights, machinists, and tool and die makers remain the sector’s most pressing challenge, even as overall job vacancy rates have fallen to their lowest level in more than 10 years. It points to an apprenticeship system that many manufacturers see as outdated and better suited to construction than advanced manufacturing, along with recent federal changes to immigration programs that have cut off a key source of entry-level talent. The report calls for a more coordinated, manufacturing-focused workforce strategy, including modernized apprenticeships, stronger education-industry partnerships and continued investment in manufacturing career awareness campaigns.
2026 State of Online Recruiting Report (iHire)
Based on a survey of more than 1,000 US job seekers and employers, this eighth annual report finds that fraud and authenticity concerns are eroding trust on both sides of the hiring process: nearly one-quarter of employers received at least one fake or fraudulent applicant in the past year, while more than four in 10 job seekers encountered a fake or scam job posting. It also finds that AI adoption in recruiting has plateaued, with just 24.2% of employers currently using it, mostly for administrative tasks such as writing job ads and candidate communications, even as 44.3% of job seekers view employers’ growing use of AI negatively. Skills-based hiring continues to gain traction, with the share of employers prioritizing skills over degree requirements roughly quadrupling compared with a year earlier.
