Alberta economy a worry for upcoming university grads
Economist Todd Hirsch warns student unemployment rate expected to rise in first half of this year
Some Calgary post-secondary students preparing to enter the workforce are starting to worry about their job prospects.
The economic downturn that many experts predict will hit Alberta in the wake of slumping oil prices could hit new grads especially hard, fears student Julian Nunez.
When the fourth-year petroleum engineering student isn’t studying, he’s on his laptop checking oil prices.
"It's demoralizing. It's very tough. It's a tough situation," he said.
When Nunez graduates in the spring he expects to be facing gloomy job prospects.
“There [aren’t] many posting for jobs and the ones that are open have thousands of people applying for them,” he said.
In a recent speech to Calgary a business audience, economist Todd Hirsch warned that the unemployment rate will rise during the first half of this year.
"I think 2015 is going to be a very challenging year for recent grads,” he said.
Fourth-year geophysics student Victor Hoang is planning to delay entering the workforce, and pursue a graduate degree instead.
"Hopefully if the master's takes two years, the economy will kick back and hopefully I'll find something then," he said.