They lineup by the hundreds, shoulder-to-shoulder, roped off around the centre court of Markham’s Markville Mall.
It’s 2:30 p.m. on a weekday afternoon. You might suspect the crowd is queued up for the newest iPhone or perhaps a video game console release, instead they’re looking for a way to put food on the table, a roof over their heads.
This is a job fair, an increasingly popular way for employers to screen large crowds of prospective employees.
With unemployment hitting highs not seen in a decade, the crowds at these recruitment events outnumber openings.
“Over the last year, I’ve submitted over 50 applications,” said 25-year-old Shawn Raj, who has been unemployed for nearly a year.
“It’s been really difficult, but looking around, I’m not alone in this situation. The job market’s really crazy right now.”
Raj came prepared, dressed to impress in business casual, hoping to stand out from the competition and make an impression on recruiters from prospective employers like Chatime, Best Buy, and Harvey’s.
Nine months ago, he graduated with a university degree in criminology.
“There’s so many people here with degrees,” says Raj, a Canadian-born citizen.
“It’s hard to even get a minimum wage job. People say we are overqualified.”
Companies ‘really put the brake on hiring,’ says retail analyst
Retail analyst Bruce Winder told CTV News Toronto that companies have “really put the brake on hiring.”
“Post-pandemic, a lot of people were hired in the tech space. And now those companies have laid them off so you’re seeing mid-level workers taking entry level jobs away from people just starting their careers,” he said.
Telha Yousaf landed a prime spot near the front of the job fair line.
“I have 15 years experience in Human Resources, a masters in project management and my PHD is near completion in business administration,” he said.
“I’m very frustrated but I’m hopeful to get something.”
A few spots behind him, another man chimes in, remarking how he’d attended a separate job fair in Toronto earlier in the day.
An employment event in Hamilton went viral earlier this year with lineups circling an entire city block. Much like the annual CNE job fair, which attracted thousands in July, for temporary part-time gigs.
It’s been a bleak year for retail.
Hudson’s Bay, Starbucks,Decathlon, and Frank and Oak are among the many retailers that closed stores, contributing to the glut of job-seekers.
With the continued uncertainty surrounding tariffs along with AI changing the nature of labour itself, Winder says it’s imperative for governments to be proactive, before the economy reaches a tipping point.
“Canada has a chance to recover. We’ve slowed our immigration numbers. That can help us recover, to some degree, over the next several years,” he said.
“But if there isn’t a plan, you’re going to have massive unemployment. You’re going to have social unrest. You’re going to have soft consumer spending markets. You’re going to have real estate collapse. It’s not going to be a be a very happy country to live in, or work in.”
