Working towards the career that you want may be the ideal way of making ends meet in Toronto
Illustration: Sam Bullis
With many students facing graduation at this time of year, what sort of job market is ahead?
Professor Raphael Gomez, department information at the University of Toronto, offered his insights.
“The economy is flat at the moment. Some industries hiring, include personal services. Students need to keep getting their foot in the door,” says Gomez. “You have to go out and talk to people. Think about small to medium-sized businesses, graduates should take a good job at first for experience, even if it’s not an ideal job, get some connections and work towards what they want,” he says.
Gomez says to think of job hunting like a sport.
“Let’s go with hockey. Some people are superstars right from the beginning. But most of us need to work our way up. Start with what you know,” added Gomez.
Some examples would include hospitality and personal support work, which is mainly due to the aging population.
However, it might be useful to note how the Internet has impacted a job search. Websites like LinkedIn and Talent Egg are helping students expand their options.
As recently as March 2015, the unemployment rate was reported at 6.9 per cent by Statistics Canada, and industries doing the most hiring include financial services and the trades.
According to a report called Making Ends Meets by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives in April 2015, a study found that in the City of Toronto, an average of $18.52 per hour is needed to make ends meet. This is evidently difficult as minimum wage is currently $11 an hour.
Students might want to note that according to Colleges Ontario, 85 per cent of college graduates found work six months after graduating. However it was non-specific as to the kind of work.
According to Workopolis, Kitchener, Thunder Bay and Hamilton are expecting to do the most hiring in the province of Ontario.
So while there are many challenges ahead for graduates, there are definitely still opportunities.
