‘Empty pit of despair’: Job seeker describes struggle as Canada posts biggest job loss in decades

Canada lost more than 80,000 jobs last month, the largest monthly decline in decades outside of the pandemic. John Vennavally-Rao reports.

In a drop that some economists are calling “worrisome,” Canada’s labour market shed 84,000 jobs in February, one of the sharpest monthly declines seen outside the COVID-19 pandemic.

For Toronto resident Zahra Bakhsh, the numbers simply mirror a reality she has long been living. After six years of searching for full-time work, the latest jobs report comes as yet another blow.

“It feels like an empty pit of despair,” she said.

Bakhsh previously worked as an administrative assistant for a real estate agent in Toronto’s east end. She says she’s spent years applying for administrative roles in places like dental and medical clinics — jobs she says match her skills. But she’s had no success.

She describes the job hunt as “dehumanizing.”

“The unfortunate part of this process is that applying for jobs has made me feel like I’m not applying for jobs at all,” she said. “I’m sending out resumes. I’m not getting callbacks, and then I end up becoming part of a stream of scams for at least two to three weeks after every time that I’ve applied.”

Bakhsh says she frequently receives emails from major job boards directing her to what appear to be additional postings, only to end up on questionable websites advertising resume services. Scam texts often follow.

“I don’t know if the jobs I’m applying for are even real at this point.”

Alongside her job search, Bakhsh runs a wedding officiant business in Toronto. While she says it’s successful, it doesn’t cover the cost of living in the city. She never intended it to be her main source of income and has always needed a full-time job to stay afloat.

She says of late she’s been forced to sleep on a friend’s couch and describes herself as unhoused.

“This is the nightmare from what I thought would happen six years ago,” she said.

Despite everything, Bakhsh still feels a sliver of optimism.

“I am still hopeful, I don’t know why,” she said with a laugh. “There’s a part of me that thinks with my skill set someone will notice me, someone will try to call back.”

Economists warn that the unexpected national job losses underline a potentially troubling slowdown.

BMO chief economist Doug Porter called the report “definitely weak,” noting that outside the pandemic, it ranks among the largest monthly employment drops Canada has ever recorded.

He said the 84,000-position decline is the kind of reading you typically only see in the depths of a recession.

“I don’t believe we’re in a recession,” Porter said, “but clearly the economy is struggling out of the gate in 2026.”

The losses were broadly spread across the private sector and concentrated in full-time work. The unemployment rate has now returned to roughly where it stood a year ago.

“We’ve had almost no job growth over a 12‑month period,” Porter said. “I think that’s really … the most important takeaway here.”

As for Bakhsh, she plans to press on in hopes of landing a full-time position.

“I’m trying to get as creative as I can with how I’m seeking jobs,” she said.