Does the slowly rising Canadian economy indicate better job prospects for university students and recent graduates? A recent New York Times article on the unprecedented number of unpaid and often illegal internships held by college students might be of concern for Americans, but things up here seem to be in better shape.

Quebec labour laws, which require that employers buy insurance for their employees—including interns—makes it difficult for Canadian students to be exploited. According to Paul Smith of the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers, the 2008 recession created more unpaid internships in the U.S. than in Canada, which was not hit as hard.

“People in the U.S. were responding to the market pressures that came about in 2008. Companies would offer unpaid internships and they found people willing to do them,” Smith said.

Though pay varies from field to field, Canadian students shouldn’t expect compensation either. Internships in engineering and business are traditionally paid, while students entering fields like social work often have to accept unpaid positions to get experience before moving on to other positions. This is true across the board, according to Catherine Stace, Arts advisor at McGill’s Career and Planning Services.

“Media? Forget it. You’re not getting paid for an internship in media,” she said.

However, there are several indications that things will improve for graduating students. On-campus recruiters, while only accounting for a small portion of hires, can accept less-qualified candidates, as the top students are receiving multiple offers.  

“We’ve noticed that jobs have increased over the past two years,” Stace said. “Service sector jobs are going to increase with the population.”

The new jobs haven’t been evenly distributed for all graduates, though. Oil, gas, and mining industries are in active need of skilled labour. Even though demand for health and education services has increased, this is part of an increasing shortage of doctors and educational professionals, especially in Quebec.  

Smith explained that it’s important to look at the trends in different sectors before drawing conclusions, as certain demands might only be local.

“Northern communities are having a hard time finding people to go there and teach,” Smith said. “Across urban Ontario, school boards are cutting back.”

Smith said that there are two pieces of advice commonly given to those starting a new career: either work in a field that you love, or avoid it altogether.  

“You need to know what it is that interests you, what you value and what you’re good at,” he said. “Until you know those things there is no use looking for a career.”

Taking a year off after graduating to travel or teach English abroad is an increasingly popular option among graduates struggling to define themselves. Those that have established their goals then need to actively seek out companies that are likely to hire them and shouldn’t wait for jobs to come to them. Choosing a city in which they would like to live is a good place to start. From there, students and recent graduates should look for small to medium-sized companies that specialize in certain areas.

“The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses hires interns for policy and all sorts of interesting things but you need to look for it in that city. They’re sitting there waiting for students to apply,” Stace added.

Ultimately, with the Canadian economy recovering and baby boomers retiring, students have reasons to be optimistic. “There are going to be spots open on the corporate ladder,” Smith said.