Canadian youth interested in employment opportunities should set their sights on Yellowknife. A recent study of 27 Canadian cities found the city to be the top-ranked place for Good Youth Jobs. Yellowknife edged out Victoria, BC which finished second in the ranking.
The Youthful Cities Urban Index funded by RBC Future Launch, is a unique, comprehensive index offering data-driven insights looking at the best cities in the country for people to work aged 15-29.
Yellowknife’s first place position was supported by having the country’s highest percentage of full-time youth employment at 64% and the highest livable wage of the cities in the index. The city also has the highest number of youth employment centres and co-work spaces per capita, providing the city’s youth access to additional employment support.
The Youthful Cities Urban Index produces a comprehensive picture of how Canadian cities perform as places for youth people to work and thrive. The Index analyzed and ranked cities according to 76 urban work indicators and eleven topics.
Amongst these topics, Yellowknife also ranked near the top in the areas of Education + Training and City Economy, finishing second and fifth respectively. Education + Training examines access to post-secondary and continuing education levels. City Economy measures a city’s environment, infrastructures, and government supports of youth and their ability to access a certain lifestyle they seek.
The Urban Index was funded by RBC Future Launch, an initiative aimed at working with community partners to actively help young people prepare for the future of work.
"It's an honour for Yellowknife to be a top-ranked city for Good Youth Jobs, and to be recognized for its access to post-secondary education and continuing education levels,” said Leanne Ponich, Regional Vice President Edmonton North. “RBC is proud to support Urban Work Index and partner with Youthful Cities, and are confident more young people will gain the insights they need to make informed decisions and find success in the future of work."
More than 1,100 young people from 27 Canadian cities were employed as urban researchers in the fall of 2020 to collect public data on the included cities, as well as to conduct surveys and interviews with youth to help inform the new index topics and indicators.
The complete Youthful Cities 2021 Urban Work Index is available to view online.