In Ontario, the first job used to mean something. It was your first paycheque, your first team, your first boss. Whether it was working the fryer at a restaurant, standing behind the cash register at the mall, or stocking shelves at the grocery store, these roles weren’t glamorous, but they were formative. They gave young people a sense of independence, good habits, and confidence.
Today, those jobs are quietly disappearing—not because the work has vanished, but because it’s no longer going to Ontario’s youth.
Entry-level positions across the province are increasingly being filled by temporary foreign workers and international students. This is a direct result of federal labour and immigration policy that’s distorting the entry-level market and crowding out local teens. Recent figures from inside Immigration Minister Lena Diab’s department count 3,049,277 temporary residents nationwide, including 129,653 who are now in Canada illegally due to expired permits. That’s in addition to the more than half a million undocumented migrants believed to be staying in Canada, according to a 2024 government briefing note.
Meanwhile, the post-COVID explosion of international student programs has misaligned with Ontario’s actual labour market needs. While career colleges like Conestoga have prioritized revenue-driven international recruitment, they’ve focused heavily on business management programs instead of in-demand fields like health care, skilled trades, or STEM.
This has failed to address a critical labour shortage, all while creating underemployment among international graduates, further clogging the job market for lower-skill roles. At Conestoga, for example, students report significant job scarcity, with many unable to find work despite persistent efforts, reflecting a saturated market that disadvantages both international and domestic youth.
The federal cap on study permits announced in 2024, reducing Ontario’s intake by up to 50 percent, acknowledges this strain. Colleges now face revenue losses and layoffs. This is the result of an unsustainable model that grew too quickly, prioritized tuition revenue over strategic labour market integration, and left Ontario youth struggling to secure early-career opportunities in a system flooded with competition.
