What to know<\/p>\n
More than 50,000 people applied for CNE jobs this year, with over 1,300 positions already filled ahead of the Aug. 21 opening.<\/p>\n
Young Torontonians told Now Toronto they\u2019ve spent months or even years applying for jobs with little success.<\/p>\n
Applicants say they\u2019ve been repeatedly \u201cghosted\u201d by employers despite submitting applications through sites like Indeed and LinkedIn.<\/p>\n
The CNE says it is also offering r\u00e9sum\u00e9 support and professional headshots to help young people improve their chances of finding work.<\/p>\n
Young Torontonians are opening up about the challenges of finding work as more than 50,000 people apply for jobs at this year\u2019s CNE.<\/p>\n
More than 50,000 people have applied for jobs at this year\u2019s Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), underscoring the fierce competition young Torontonians face as they search for work in a challenging job market.<\/p>\n
The annual CNE job fair returned to Toronto\u2019s Enercare Centre this week as organizers race to fill hundreds of seasonal positions before the fair opens on Aug. 21.<\/p>\n
Organizers say they have already received more than 50,000 applications, with more than 1,300 positions filled so far.<\/p>\n
Young job seekers say finding work has become a struggle<\/p>\n
For many attendees, landing a job has proven increasingly difficult.<\/p>\n
One university student told Now Toronto she has been unemployed for more than a year despite submitting countless applications.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been so hard. Indeed is just fed up with me. Indeed is just like, \u2018Stop sending me emails,\u2019 because they know I\u2019m not gonna get any jobs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She said she has also applied for jobs with the City of Toronto without success, adding that finding work has become even more stressful while trying to pay university tuition.<\/p>\n
High school student Aziz said he has been applying for jobs through LinkedIn and Indeed for more than six months.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut most of the time I just got ghosted,\u201d he told Now Toronto.<\/p>\n
Another job seeker, Azil B., said the experience has left him worried about his future.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if I graduate high school, go to college, get to university, have many degrees, I don\u2019t know if I can get a stable job here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Tiffany J. said she\u2019s been searching for work since 2024 and has landed interviews but still hasn\u2019t secured a job.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re saying that there\u2019s jobs for teens, yet all the teens are here, and I don\u2019t see anybody getting a job,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She added that the prolonged job search has made it harder to become financially independent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to be dependent on people. I know I\u2019m still a teen, but I want to have my own possessions and feel proud of myself. Back in the day, you could do that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
CNE says it\u2019s helping young people build skills<\/p>\n
CNE CEO Mark Holland said the organization recognizes how difficult it can be for young people to land their first job and has expanded supports beyond hiring.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also have resources, take headshots, help with CVs, so those resources are here to help young people. If they can\u2019t get a job today, they have the skills and the tools they need to get that job in the future,\u201d he told Now Toronto.<\/p>\n
Holland said he has been encouraged by the turnout and determination shown by this year\u2019s applicants.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you come to the CNE, you want to have a great time, you really want to enjoy yourself, so having those young people filled with that spirit and enthusiasm is a massive part of our experience here. It\u2019s pretty cool to connect with them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What to know More than 50,000 people applied for CNE jobs this year, with over 1,300 positions already…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":149621,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[12778,48],"class_list":["post-149620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-toronto","tag-cne","tag-toronto"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149620"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149620\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}