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“Young workers are a politically-conscious group and increasingly active in their unions. Their leadership in workplaces and unions will shape the future of work and how we respond to the precarious economy.” — Hassan Yussuff, President of the CLC.
Ottawa (12 Aug. 2016) — As the world celebrates International Youth Day on August 12, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) is asking the federal government and employers to invest more in job training and employment opportunities to help young Canadians break away from the ongoing cycle of precarious work and unemployment.
Young Canadians confronted by challenges and opportunities
In Diving Without a Parachute: Young Canadians versus a precarious economy, a report written by youth, the CLC breaks down some of the challenges and opportunities currently facing young workers in Canada.
“Young workers are dealing with exceptionally high rates of unemployment or underemployment, and have been for many years. They are also carrying unbelievably high levels of student debt; the average student graduates owing over $25,000. We are not setting young people up for success,” said CLC President Hassan Yussuff.
“This perfectly demonstrates the importance of a national jobs strategy, a $15 minimum wage and the expansion of the CPP. Young workers will benefit from these measures,” Yussuff added.
A civic-minded and activist generation
Diving Without a Parachute celebrates millennials as one of the most civic-minded and activist generations in history, and shows that union density among young workers is on the rise.
“Young workers are a politically-conscious group and increasingly active in their unions. Their leadership in workplaces and unions will shape the future of work and how we respond to the precarious economy,” said Yussuff.
Diving without a parachute is based on the CLC’s comprehensive report Diverse, Engaged, and Precariously Employed: An in-depth look at young workers in Canada.
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Young Canadians need more opportunities
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