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Something strange is unfolding in North America’s workforce.

A quiet unraveling—not in factories or shipping yards, but in offices, on campus, and in the inboxes of career advisors and startup mentors.

You can feel it in the numbers:

In Canada, the youth unemployment rate (ages 15–24) hit 14.2% in May 2025—up 1.4% from 2024 and nearly double the national average.
And this doesn’t even account for the delayed ripple effects of rising tariffs and macroeconomic tightening.

In the U.S., it’s no better. Recent college grads are facing the worst relative job market in nearly 40 years.

The entry-level corporate jobs they were promised are disappearing—automated, outsourced, or dissolved entirely.

Here’s what’s happening:

There’s simply too much labor supply, and not enough demand.
Especially for entry-level white-collar jobs.
Too many résumés, not enough roles.

And the few that do exist? Often handed off to AI, freelancers abroad, or software built to replace five junior analysts with one tool.

The North American job funnel—the one we were told to rely on (school → degree → entry job → career)—is clogged, crumbling, and shrinking.

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But FIRST

If you are new, welcome to OCE’s weekly newsletter curated for the ambitious youth…here are some articles you missed from previous weeks:

📈 Why No One Successful Wants to Mentor You ​Read More →​

🎨 Best tools for building your passion project ​ ​Read More​ →​

📘 The Future Belongs to Borderless Thinkers ​ ​Read More​ →​

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What Should You Do Instead?

We’re not here to doomscroll you into despair. We’re here to remind you that the old system breaking is also the new system being born.

And the ones who will thrive in this new era will do two things well:

1. Develop real, concrete skills that let you build, sell, design, or solve problems without needing a corporate gatekeeper’s permission. Think no-code tools, storytelling, sales, user research, AI-enhanced workflows, and community-building.
2. Look beyond saturated North American markets because while Canada and the U.S. are oversupplied with job-seeking grads, emerging economies are growing fast—with younger populations, rising digital adoption, and no shortage of big problems waiting to be solved.

We got you covered with 1. You won’t just “study entrepreneurship.” You’ll practice it, alongside founders solving real problems. Now let's talk about 2...

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“But I Don’t Want to Move Abroad…”

We hear this a lot—and it’s valid.

When we tell youth about the incredible opportunities in emerging markets, the reaction is usually excitement… followed by hesitation:

I used to wonder the same.
After spending a year in Vietnam, I saw the huge potential—startups solving infrastructure gaps, huge demand for innovation, markets moving fast.
And for a moment, I really thought I might stay long-term.

But I realized: language would be a barrier.
And more importantly, in a digitally connected world, I didn’t have to live there to build something for or with that market.

That insight changed everything.

Real Examples from the OCE Community

• OCE itself is proof. As long as I can connect with visionary founders in Southeast Asia and co-create opportunities for youth in North America, I don’t need to be physically based in ASEAN to scale the movement.
• Our friend Audrey Cheng, founder of Moringa School, worked with local partners like Safaricom to expand technical education across Africa. Once those partnerships were in place, she didn’t need to live in Nairobi to grow the school.
• Our friends at OCEAN, a Seattle-based startup, sells bamboo roofing material in India—through local nonprofit partners—without the founder being based in India.

Bottom line:
​You don’t need to uproot your life to participate in the global economy.​
You just need to:

• Build relevant skills,
• Understand local needs,
• Earn trust through partnerships,
• And show up with value.

How to Start Building Globally

You don’t need to know everything. But you do need to start.
Here are great short term programs that help young people gain exposure and build international networks:

• ​World University Service of Canada (WUSC) – development internships and fellowships
• ​Alter Global Fellowship – embeds young leaders inside high-growth startups abroad
• ​OCE – our own platform that helps you collaborate across borders from wherever you are

Bottom Line

North America is saturated.
Emerging markets are rising.
And you’re not stuck—you’re early.

You don’t have to move to a new country.
But you do need to think globally, build strategically, and move boldly.

This isn’t about going “over there.”
It’s about reaching across—smarter, faster, and together.

Let’s go global,

Like what you read? Share with friends!

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PS. This summer, we are going to tackle pressing global issues and drive innovation in regions (such as your own community) where it is needed the most. Want in? We run a summer cohort for ambitious youth (high school and undergrads) to work directly with world-class founders while learning from Silicon Valley leaders. ​ OCE Summer Cohort ​ You can also explore purposeful opportunities through our Impact Internship Opportunities Database. ​ Get Curious.

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Lena

​https://www.openclassroomexperience.com/​