Student unemployment reaches 12-year high

For Immediate Release July 13, 2009

(Halifax) – Student unemployment in Canada has reached a 12-year high. According to a statistics Canada report released on Friday, student unemployment levels jumped almost five per cent since last year, reaching its highest level since 1997 and resulting in roughly 43, 000 fewer jobs for students in Canada than last summer.

Representatives from the Alliance of Nova Scotia Student Associations (ANSSA) worry that the bleak summer job market coupled with the high cost of post-secondary education in Nova Scotia will deter many capable students from pursuing the higher education they need to succeed.

“Last year students in Nova Scotia were paying the highest average tuition in Canada, and many were doing so without adequate financial assistance,” explained ANSSA chair, Emma Cullen. “With fewer financial resources available to students, we expect to see more students that are simply unable to afford the cost of university education next year.”

ANSSA Executive Director, Mark Coffin, believes that this situation is indicative of the need for the Nova Scotia government to step up the amount of financial assistance it offers students in this province.

“Our government needs to ensure students are financially capable of attaining the education they will need once our economy recovers,” added Coffin. “Otherwise, we’re going to continue to see youth leaving the province for a more affordable education elsewhere and to pay off their debt.”

The Statistics Canada Report is accessible here: http://tr.im/s75f

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