This CFIB report explores how educational institutions, governments, the business community, and youth can work to bridge the gap between higher-than-ever vacancy rates in small businesses and persistently high youth unemployment rates.
The report finds that small businesses rate soft skills as most important when hiring youth. CFIB research shows that 93% of business owners regard general motivation and attitude as “very important”, followed by communication skills (73%) and professionalism (70%).
CFIB is recommending that Canada’s educational institutions rethink how they approach workplace preparedness in and out of the classroom. They need to work with governments and the small business community to ensure that job needs are met and that young people entering the workforce are equipped with the right skills.
In addition, governments at all levels need to better consider how their policies, such as payroll taxes and minimum wage increases, affect youth employment, as well as consider ways to help offset the higher costs associated with hiring and training youth.
Download the report, PDF (613) KB
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