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Yet, so far, there has been no alarm, let alone a response. The near-total silence from policymakers is remarkable given the stakes. Moreover, like so many other Canadian crises as of late, it鈥檚 difficult to argue no one saw this coming.

While the new numbers are truly chilling, the trend has been obvious for the better part of a year. Last June鈥檚 rate of 13.5 per cent may look rosy in comparison to today, but even then it was the highest unemployment rate for young people since 2014 except for the pandemic.

Beyond the official numbers, the pain was clear across social media: parents on X had tales of teens unable to find summer or part-time work; Reddit was full of frustrated young professionals futilely applying to hundreds of jobs; and on LinkedIn, #OpentoWork badges multiplied like tribbles from 鈥淪tar Trek.鈥�

It isn鈥檛 just taking an extra few weeks or months to land a job, either. Indeed鈥檚聽聽for Q1 2025 shows an even worse trend line for 15 to 24-year-olds鈥� long-term unemployment rate of six months or more, which is up to 3.5 per cent from 2.9 per cent a year ago. It鈥檚 another two-decade high.

So we have the anecdotes, the data, and young people are crying out for help 鈥� yet those with power don鈥檛 seem to, or don鈥檛 want to, notice. It鈥檚 like the housing crisis all over again.

As with the early years of the housing crisis, it鈥檚 easy to overlook Canada鈥檚 unemployment surge because it鈥檚 not being experienced equally. The older you are, the more insulated you鈥檙e likely to be from pain. While the 鈥減rime age鈥� 25-54 demographic also reports a 15-year unemployment high, it鈥檚 at a much less pronounced 5.7 per cent. (It鈥檚 a disservice that StatsCan doesn鈥檛 break this group down further, as I鈥檇 venture that unemployment continues to skew significantly higher for those in the younger segment of that range.) Meanwhile, the 55-plus age group is the only one not experiencing a decades-high unemployment rate, sitting at 5.1 per cent.

Politicians themselves tend to be older and so are the voters they care about most. The recent federal election ended in a frantic race for the baby boomer vote, which moved the ballot box question away from the scarcity experienced by younger Canadians toward older ones鈥� thirst for stability. The Conservatives鈥� 鈥渓ost Liberal decade鈥� messaging fell on deaf ears for those who hadn鈥檛 experienced a lost decade at all, but rather one of comfortable, if not astronomical, gains.

The other reason politicians would rather not talk about youth unemployment: like the housing crisis, it鈥檚 largely their fault. Tariffs are exacerbating the problem, but the rapid deterioration in job prospects for younger Canadians aligns perfectly with unsustainable immigration targets, and especially uncapped temporary foreign worker and international student visas. Leaders favoured stakeholders crying wolf about labour shortages over young workers.

The decision to spike demand for housing and jobs far beyond any realistic version of supply should be an unforgivable betrayal. Without accountability and real efforts to restore economic opportunity for young people, bleak future prospects will breed even more anger and disillusionment.

The housing crisis divided Canada into two separate economies, and one鈥檚 age is the best predictor of which experience you get. A fractured employment market will only deepen these divides, and with them, their dangerous social and political costs.