28% of Canadian Post-Secondary Students Skipping Meals to Cope With Rising Living Costs: Report

More than one-quarter of Canadian post-secondary students say they are in such dire straits financially they are forced to skip meals, according to a survey presented to a federal committee.

Food Banks Canada surveyed 1,500 Canadians aged 18 to 24 with the help of Toronto pollster Pollara Strategic Insight. The findings, which were first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, painted a grim picture of young people struggling to make ends meet, a challenge that can sometimes lead them to forgo meals.

The report presented to the House of Commons human resources committee also indicated that young adults in this age bracket are accessing food banks at nearly double the rate of the general population. The report was one of many received by the committee of MPs late last year as part of their effort to examine youth unemployment.

“Twenty-eight percent of young adults said they skipped a meal due to lack of money and 20 percent had accessed food from a community organization at no cost,” said the Food Banks Canada Brief. “These indicators point to a heightened level of economic strain among youth.”

Survey respondents said aspects of their employment situation were contributing to them being financially stressed. Forty-two percent blamed the rising cost of living, 38 percent cited low wages. Twenty-three percent pointed to the “high cost of gas” and 16 percent said their spouse is “unemployed.”

“The long-standing promise that education and hard work will lead to opportunity, feels increasingly out of reach for young people in Canada,” the brief says, noting that youth unemployment now stands at 14.7 percent nationwide—the highest level in a decade.

“For those who can find work, many face precarious employment opportunities, rising cost of living, and limited access to income supports,” the report adds. “Something is not working – and the implication and costs are mounting.”

The report noted many young adults are experiencing low or inconsistent wages, inflexible working hours, and limited access to benefits, which exacerbates their financial vulnerability and complicates their eligibility for Employment Insurance (EI), resulting in many lacking a safety net during periods of unemployment.

Employment Barriers

The capacity of young adults to secure or maintain quality employment frequently involves manoeuvering through a terrain of structural and personal barriers, the report says.

The most commonly mentioned obstacle was the scarcity of job opportunities. Nearly 50 percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 reported experiencing difficulties in obtaining stable, well-compensated positions, the brief says. It notes that many young workers encounter a job market defined by temporary contracts, part-time employment, and limited avenues for career progression.

Survey respondents also said insufficient qualifications or training was a barrier. The report noted that 21 percent of young people cited a lack of credentials or specialized skills keeps them from securing better jobs.

“This highlights the growing mismatch between what employers demand and what young job seekers can afford to access, especially given the rising cost of postsecondary education and training programs,” the report says.

Transportation was the third-largest issue identified by those polled. Eighteen percent reported facing challenges related to commuting barriers, which may stem from insufficient public transportation, elevated fuel prices, or extended travel durations from locations where affordable housing can be found, the report says.

“These constraints can limit access to job opportunities outside their immediate neighbourhoods,” the brief adds.

The large number of young people entering the labour force—including international students—has far exceeded available jobs, pushing youth unemployment rates higher, according to a September 2025 report from Desjardins.

The government permitted foreign students to work up to 40 hours weekly during the pandemic but as the pandemic “moved into the rearview mirror and economic activity normalized, this deluge of available labour well outpaced demand, putting upward pressure on the youth unemployment rate,” the Desjardins report says.

This prompted the government to reinstate restrictions to 20 hours per week, but it made changes again in December 2023, this time giving international students the ability to log 24 hours per week during the school year. No limit was placed on the number of hours permitted outside of the school year.

The surge has again outstripped demand in certain sectors, causing heightened competition and a rise in youth unemployment.

The youth employment rate reached its lowest level in the past 27 years in August 2025, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2020-21, according to Statistics Canada.

StatCan’s July labour force survey found the youth employment rate fell 0.7 percentage points to 53.6 percent, the lowest rate since November 1998 with the exception of the pandemic period. Youth were considered those aged 15 to 24.

Food Banks Canada is urging Ottawa to strengthen income protections and invest in skills development and training opportunities for young people to combat the employment issues young people are facing.

“To ensure that young Canadians can build sustainable livelihoods, coordinated action is needed to expand access to skills development, early work experiences, and modernized income protections,” its report reads. “Without such interventions, Canada risks entrenching a generation of workers excluded from the promise of economic stability and opportunity.”