Young Montreal job seekers struggle to hear back from employers
Young workers face increased competition and changing hiring practices in a challenging job market
Young job seekers in Montreal say they are struggling to get responses from employers as they compete for work in a challenging job market.
For 21-year-old Karla Samo, a student at Cégep Marie-Victorin, the job search has meant sending out many applications without receiving responses from employers.
“I’ve applied to over like 20 jobs, and I haven’t gotten a single call, not even an email, like nothing,” Samo said.
She described submitting applications as feeling like sending them into a “black hole.”
Samo said she has been unemployed for about four or five months. She lives alone and said being without a job has made it difficult to keep up with rent, food, car insurance and other expenses.
Her experience comes as Montreal’s overall labour market shows signs of improvement. According to Statistics Canada, the unemployment rate in the Montreal census metropolitan area fell to 7.0 per cent in August from 7.2 per cent in April. Young workers, however, continue to face challenges finding employment. Across Canada, the unemployment rate among returning students aged 15 to 24 was 12.9 per cent in August. While that was down from 14.3 per cent a year earlier, it remained above the pre-pandemic average of 11.2 per cent for the month of August 2019.
Dominique Guay, a job counsellor at Carrefour jeunesse-emploi Saint Laurent, said many of the young people she works with are facing similar difficulties.
“The biggest problem is not getting called at all,” Guay said.
She explained that employers have more applicants to choose from, and people with different education and experience levels sometimes compete for the same positions.
“Some job seekers are applying to hundreds of positions without hearing back,” Guay said.
Guay said some begin to question their resumés or abilities after repeatedly applying without getting a response. She said online job platforms have also expanded the competition.
“You’re no longer competing with the kids on your block,” Guay said. “You’re competing with all of Quebec.”
Another challenge is the use of automated systems that screen applications, noted Guay. With many people applying for the same position, some employers use technology to narrow down resumés before a person reviews them.
“You can write the most beautiful prose in your CV that has ever been seen, if you don’t have the keywords, the robot will not retain your CV,” Guay said.
Jacqueline Bienvenue, a manager at a Laura Canada clothing store in Montreal, said she is receiving more applications than in recent years. Bienvenu does not use artificial intelligence to screen resumés and was not aware it was being used in her field. When applicants drop off resumés in person, Bienvenu said she tells them that if they do not hear back by a certain date, another candidate has been selected.
When hiring, she said she is willing to hire young people without previous experience, and for an entry-level cashier position, she focuses more on the applicant’s personality than their previous experience.
“It’s enthusiasm. Able to communicate,” Bienvenu said. “They don’t have to have experience. I can train them.”
Availability, however, can be a problem. The manager said some young people apply for retail positions but are unwilling to work nights or weekends, when stores often need employees.
“You have to be a little bit flexible,” Bienvenu said.
She said young job seekers should be prepared to start in an entry-level position and work their way up.
Guay also recommends starting the job search early and tailoring resumés to the language used in job postings. She said using relevant keywords can help applicants when an employer uses an automated screening system.
Despite the difficulties she is seeing, Guay said she remains optimistic as employers and job seekers learn to adapt to changes in hiring.
For Samo, the search continues. After months without work, she said the lack of responses has been difficult to deal with.
“The silence is honestly the worst part of it, because the hope you get and the overthinking are just so exhausting,” Samo said.
This article originally appeared in Volume 47, Issue 2, published September 22, 2026.
