Toronto fair flooded with 54K desperate job seekers looking for summer gig
The Canadian National Exhibition has been flooded with a record number of applications from desperate job seekers for seasonal work as unemployment in Toronto continues to soar.
The Canadian National Exhibition has been flooded with a record number of applications from desperate job seekers for seasonal work as unemployment in Toronto continues to soar.
The exhibition published a press release Monday confirming it had received more than 55,000 applications for the 5,000 seasonal positions it was offering, marking the highest number in its history.
“With youth unemployment rates at their highest levels in decades, especially in Ontario, the CNE is expecting one of the largest turnouts for its 2025 hiring event,” the release reads.
Some individuals even applied to more than 1,000 of the minimum wage positions available.
The positions being offered are geared toward youth and entry-level job seekers — a demographic that has been struggling significantly in Ontario’s current labour market.
Positions included cashiers, retail associates, game attendants, food service staff, midway operators and informational guides.
People as young as 14 were encouraged to apply for the job fair, which is now closed.
The City of Toronto is currently facing an unemployment rate of 8.8 per cent, with youth unemployment being particularly high, at 16 per cent as of last month.
According to Statistics Canada, nearly one in four teenagers between 14 and 19 in Ontario are currently unemployed.
Nationally, the unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 24 was more than 14 per cent as of June 2025. The unemployment rate fell slightly to 6.9 per cent last month, which marked the first decline since January.
Before June, the unemployment rate increased for three consecutive months, reaching its highest level in May since September 2016, excluding 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, 81 per cent of the exhibition’s workforce identified as youth aged 14 to 29. Meanwhile, 78 per cent of that cohort also identified as a visible minority, along with 15 per cent of those who identified as having a disability.
Foreign students need not apply. These jobs should be for Canadian citizens only.
Is it not time to ICE out all “irregulars, illegals and over expired work visa holders? Or even Stop work visas for all foreigners.
55,000 applicants to 5,000 temporary jobs @ mostly minimum wage is irresponsible of the Carney Liberals.
Hey Dougie boy, how many more did you say you wanted to let in to fill the job market…..go back to the cottage and wine and dine Carnage….two peas in a pod ready for the picking!!