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On October 7, workers and unions around the world mark the World Day for Decent Work under the theme Young Workers Organizing for the Future.
This year’s theme speaks directly to what young workers in Canada are living every day and to the leadership they are showing in response. Young workers are carrying some of the heaviest weight in today's economy.
They face high unemployment, low wages, precarious and insecure work, and mounting education costs, all while the cost of living keeps climbing. U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war and tariffs on Canada have only deepened that uncertainty, putting good jobs, and the futures built on them, at risk.
The numbers are stark. In Canada, the unemployment rate for workers aged 15 to 24 sits at 12.9%, double the national rate of 6.4%. Around the world, the International Labour Organization reports that youth unemployment rose to 12.4% in 2025, leaving nearly 67 million young people out of work. Black, Indigenous and racialized young workers face even greater systemic barriers in the labour market, and too often, even fewer opportunities.
This pressure is taking a real toll. A recent survey found that 83% of young Canadians feel stressed about their career prospects. That is not a personal failing. It is the result of an economy that has not delivered the security young people were promised, and of policy choices that too often leave them behind.
Young workers deserve better. They deserve stable, secure, well-paid jobs, fair treatment at work and a real say in the decisions that shape their lives. That is why Unifor’s‘Protect Canadian Jobs’ and ‘Built Here. For Here’.campaigns are focused on defending and building good jobs in communities across the country, so the next generation of workers has a decent future to step into. Governments and employers must do their part by investing in good jobs, skills and training, and by making affordability a priority.
Across our union, young workers are not waiting for change. They are leading it. Young worker leaders and activists are organizing their workplaces, taking on leadership roles in their Locals and making sure the issues that matter to them are raised at the bargaining table. Through our Young Workers Committees, they are creating the spaces to share experiences, strategize together and strengthen their voice across the union.
That leadership is building a stronger, more united union for generations to come. On World Day for Decent Work, we celebrate the young workers leading this fight, and we will keep building the collective power that makes decent work possible for every generation.
