Alberta youth losing hope about job prospects as unemployment reaches new highs

For 19-year-old Everett Goodridge, the search for a job has been defined by rejection — especially coming out of high school.

He's soberly aware of the competition he's up against, one face in a long line of job-seekers at a job fair in Edmonton's Kingsway Mall.

"I have a year or two of retail experience, and even with three years of looking for jobs, it just doesn't seem to land me any opportunities," Goodridge said.

"At this point, optimism is pretty far away."

Looking for any job he can get, he's hoping to score a gig and save some money for post-secondary education, with dreams of enrolling in a forensics program. For now, he has applied for a job with a private security company.

A job fair at Kingsway Mall on Sept. 4 attracted a crowd of young job-seekers, resumes in hand. It com