Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeNP CommentLucy Gay: The culprit behind Gen Z's bleak job market isn't AI. It's Zoom callsEmployers are reluctant to hire inexperienced workers for remote positionsLast updated 12 minutes ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.FILE - A display for Zoom Video Communications is shown ahead of the company's Nasdaq IPO in New York. Photo by Mark Lennihan /THE ASSOCIATED PRESSA study released in June shows that remote work explains roughly two-thirds of youth unemployment in the United States. And in Canada, youth unemployment rates are far worse. In 2025, the unemployment rate for Canadian youths was 13.8 per cent, compared to 10 per cent in the United States.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe study reveals the unique struggles left in the wake of Covid that this generation of graduates is contending with. Many highly qualified university graduates are struggling to land jobs commensurate with their education.Employers are reluctant to hire inexperienced workers for remote positions because training and mentorship are much more difficult to provide from afar, the study explains. As a result, companies preferred to take on candidates with proven work ethic and experience over just-graduated talent.This newsletter from NP Comment tackles the topics you care about. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againGen Z students who studied in “easily remotable” fields, like software engineering or computer science were more likely to experience unemployment rather than those in jobs that are non-remotable, like the trades.In general, jobs that require a university degree are often more easily remotable than those that require a college degree. This is reflected in the data: For the first time in years, young Canadians with a university education have a higher unemployment rate than those who have attended college or a trade school. University-educated graduates have, in the past, had equal to or lower unemployment rates than those who attended college. But since 2022, that has not been the case.Joshua, a 25-year-old from Toronto, who graduated from the University of Toronto with a Masters in Science last April has been job searching for over a year. Joshua estimates that over the course of the year, he’s filled out at least 50 applications, attended 60 coffee chats, and completed four final-round interviews. This is a surprising predicament for Joshua: In elementary and high school he was considered a “gifted” student. He was a cellist in Toronto’s Youth Symphony Orchestra, was ranked year over year in the top 5 in his high school classes, and placed in national math competitions. And yet, Joshua tells me that now, over a year out from graduation, he’s been “stuck in a frustrating loop of coffee-chatting and applications.” To get something on his resume, Joshua just accepted a pro bono position at a consulting firm.Other generations have inherited poor job markets, graduated into recessions and experienced the erasure or shrinkage of entire fields of work due to technological developments. But with the outbreak of Covid, and the unpredictable lockdowns that followed, the job market changed shape entirely — moving the office job into the home. Now, even a diligent youth filled with sports practices, music recitals, unpaid internships and perfect grades no longer guarantees a place in Canada’s job market. Companies are saving by not paying for office spaces, but at the cost of young people like Joshua, who benefit the most from working in person.Lucy Gay is a Canadian writer based in Washington, D.C. 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