Jobs are very important to everyone's future. As a youth,
if you don't have a job you probably can't afford to go on to
post-secondary education. And without a post-secondary education,
you'll end up serving fries at McDonalds all of your life - if
you're lucky.
According to Statistics Canada in British Columbia, the youth
unemployment rate (for people aged 15-29) is 18.3%. This means
that B.C. has the fourth highest youth unemployment rate in Canada,
being beaten only by Newfoundland, the North West Territories
and New Brunswick.
In B.C., the minimum wage is $7.15/hr, but when you look at
the average cost of living, the minimum wage just doesn't cut
it. Statistics Canada has found that the average rent in B.C.
is $704/month, while the average cost of owning a house is $239,745.
The average British Columbian spends $121.73/wk on food, $39.55/wk
on restaurant expenses and $2.02/wk on coffee and tea. Looking
at this figures you must note that they exclude costs of transportation,
education, house hold expenditures such as toiletries, electricity,
and phone bills, and fun activities such as snowboarding/skiing,
going to the movies or traveling. |