The Martlet

This summer could see another low in the number of student jobs, according to UVic’s Co-Op and Career Services. However, this upcoming fall could see the beginning of a rising trend in student employment.

“Last year it was much, much harder for students to find jobs [than it was the year before],” said Leslie Liggett, Business Co-op manager. “Partly, it was because the provincial government froze hiring, and they’re a very strong supporter of student hiring. Also, because of the economic downturn, a lot of organizations that would have hired for summer tried to make do without hiring.”

As UVic’s business programs have a mandatory co-op, Liggett doesn’t have much direct experience with students finding jobs outside of the program. However, she said co-op is a good measure of the availability of other student job opportunities.

Because the West Coast was hit by the recession later than the East, Liggett said the recovery will also be later. And though job prospects for this summer likely won’t improve from last year, she said, things might be looking up this fall.

“We’re talking to employers that haven’t hired for the last year and they’re saying, we’re thinking fall we’re going to be ready,” she said.

Cuts to the Canada Student Jobs Program will certainly affect UVic students, she added. The program enables small or emerging companies to hire for positions they wouldn’t otherwise be able to, and not as many companies will receive funding for a position, she said.

Liggett said UVic contacts thousands of businesses with the funding information they receive from the federal government. The money goes toward creating job opportunities — the majority in B.C., but also nationally.

Though prospects might be shaky, Liggett said the best defence for summer job-hunting students is a good offense: start early. She also noted that Career Services has a variety of resources for students, including seminars to improve job-hunting skills, like resume-writing and interviewing; and a job board on their website which is active at all times.