Windsor's youth unemployment is the highest in Canada. For some racialized youth, rates are even higher

"I want to do something," Altaani said. "We're the new generation and it feels like we're behind — I want a car, I want to drive. I'm an adult now, so I want to feel like I'm an adult." 

Hazmeh is among many youth struggling to find a job in this region. A report released this week found the Windsor area had the highest youth unemployment rate among major Canadian cities for 2024, and for some racialized youth populations, the numbers were even higher.

The youth unemployment rate for ages 15 to 24 was 18.2 per cent for 2024, according to Workforce WindsorEssex's Youth Employment Work Plan.

The report outlined trends in youth unemployment data along gender, race and education lines. For Arab youth like Altaani, the unemployment number was 27 per cent.

Endless resumes

Dalmar Osman is a 19-year-old nursing student. He currently has a full-time job for the summer that he wants to scale back to part-time when school starts again. 

He was able to get his job through New Beginnings, the youth social services organization, but told CBC News that the application process was gruelling. 

"I think I got two interviews out of the 100 and something jobs I applied to," Osman says. 

It speaks to undercurrent problems not just in the city, but in the country as a whole- Chidera Ikewieb

For Black youth, the unemployment rate stands at 28 per cent. 

"Honestly I thought it'd be much higher," Osman said. "Going places you don't see many Black people working there." 

"Searching for a job these days is very, very difficult"

Some young people have been able to find employment because of assistance from organizations like New Beginnings, but say the search wasn't easy.

For Chidera Ikewieb — a recent graduate of the University of Windsor — these unemployment figures are emblematic of much wider issues in Canadian society.

"It speaks to undercurrent problems not just in the city, but in the country as a whole," she says. "There is that stigma that you have a name that looks foreign and people label it as not as well educated."

"That contributes to it for Black individuals, but also BIPOC individuals generally."

This week, Workforce WindsorEssex also launched a youth job website that maps out active postings, and helps people put together resumes and cover letters.