In 2025, close to 7 in 10 young adults aged 25 to 34 years with a bachelor's degree or higher (69%) were employed in permanent, full-time positions. This was down from a peak of 71% recorded in 2022, during the late stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, when labour market conditions were especially tight. Despite this decrease, the proportion recorded in 2025 was above the pre-pandemic average of 65% seen from 2017 to 2019. In 2025, the share of young adults with a bachelor's degree or higher employed in permanent, full-time positions was slightly below the share observed for those with a trades certificate or diploma (71%) but was higher than the share observed for those with a high school diploma (56%) and those with less than a high school diploma (43%).
A new study in Insights on Canadian Society, titled "How are young Canadian university graduates faring in the recent labour market?" looked at how non-students aged 25 to 34 years with a bachelor's degree or higher had fared in the recent labour market, compared with earlier periods and with people with other levels of education. Using annual data from the Labour Force Survey, the study tracked full-time permanent work, wages, employment in jobs covered by collective bargaining agreements, pension coverage and overqualification over time. The study also explored gender differences and the impacts of having young children on employment outcomes.
