Toronto ranked best city in Canada for youth to work. Here's why

Toronto is the best city in Canada for youth to work in, according to a new study.

RBC and Youthful Cities’ 2023 Urban Work index looked at 30 Canadian cities and ranked them based on 167 urban work indicators in a range of topics, including diversity and inclusion, good youth jobs, affordability, transportation and health, among others. The scores were then weighted based on how important each topic is to youth, based on survey results.

The results aim to serve youth, between the ages of 15 and 29, as a resource on where in Canada has the “most inclusive and accessible places” to work in the country.

Even though Toronto ranked last in affordability and saw a mass exodus of its youth leaving to settle down in other provinces, the city placed first as the best city to work in for youth in Canada. This is a seven spot jump for Toronto, as it placed eighth overall the last time the Urban Work rankings were published in 2021.

“As post-pandemic recovery continues, the future of work for young adults remains precarious,” Raj Dhaliwal, index lead for Youthful Cities, said in a news release.

“Work environments, emerging climate changes across sectors, wages and inflation will continue to impact young people’s decisions around work, and in doing so, how they live and contribute to a city.”

Toronto ranked first in three topics: education and training, entrepreneurial spirit, and digital access. The city ranked high in these factors due to its diverse availability of post-secondary exchange programs, dedicated scholarships for BIPOC students, and its number of libraries, free Wi-Fi locations per capita, start-ups, investors and co-working spaces per capita.

Montreal, Que. clinched second, while the previous first place winner, Vancouver, B.C., landed in third.

Across Ontario, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ottawa-Gatineau, Mississauga scored spots in the top 10 list. London, Ont. cracked 15th, St. Catharines-Niagara placed 16th, Brampton snagged 17th and Windsor in 20th.

Oshawa was the lowest ranked city in Ontario, placing in 28th, due to its lengthy average commute time.

Meanwhile, Yellowknife, N.W.T., placed last among the 30 Canadian cities, due to its lack of good jobs with a youth employment rate of 16 per cent. But, it was named the youngest city with an average population age at 36 years old and has the smallest gender gap in its labour force.

Here are the top 10 best places for youth to work in:

1. Toronto, Ont.
2. Montreal, Que.
3. Vancouver, B.C.
4. Charlottetown, P.E.I.
5. Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont.
6. Ottawa-Gatineau, Ont.
7. Mississauga, Ont.
8. Quebec City, Que.
9. Laval, Que.
10. Halifax, N.S.