Youth Unemployment and Underemployment Reveal Something Deeper

Nearly 1 in 4 teenagers in the labour force can’t find work, and young adults are now spending months, not weeks, searching for jobs. Even more striking: this includes many with post-secondary credentials. We often respond to this with familiar solutions:

 • More training

 • More programs

 • More investment in post-secondary pathways

These matter. But they come too late.

By the time a young person is looking for work, most career decisions have already been made, often with limited exposure to real opportunities, few meaningful conversations, and little understanding of how work actually functions. What we’re seeing is not just a labor market problem. It’s a career agency problem. Young people are leaving school without the ability to:

 • Navigate uncertainty

 • Recognize opportunity

 • Translate their experiences into direction

 • Adapt when plans change

Without that foundation, even a strong education struggles to convert into meaningful employment. This is what I call the “Reset Trap”: We respond to poor outcomes by doubling down on late-stage solutions, instead of building capability earlier. 

If we want different outcomes at 22, we need different experiences at 12. That means:

 • Early exposure in K-12 education to the working world

 • Structured career conversations (at school and at home)

 • Experiential learning that builds confidence and insight

 • A system designed to develop career agency over time

We don't have a talent shortage. We have a visibility and alignment problem. And it’s one we can solve, if we start early enough.