An in-depth study looking into unemployment statistics in London is painting an unflattering picture.
According to an ongoing project on the future of southwestern Ontario, London is lagging behind when it comes to replacing jobs lost during the recession.
"They want the younger people. If you're over 50 you're going to have a hard time, even with the experience," says job seeker Tony O'Andrigo.
According to preliminary results of a study by the Ivey Business School, men between the ages of 25 and 54 have taken the biggest hit when it comes to job losses in the last ten years.
"Oh it's absolutely bad news, particularly if you're young and a young male there's not a lot of job opportunities in London compared to, not just other cities in the region but other cities in the country," says economist and study co-author Mike Moffat.
Moffat says with population growth, London should have created 20,000 to 25,000 jobs. Instead, it lost more than 5000.
The study also reveals that while employment for women has risen as much as 20 per cent in other areas, it's gone up just two to three per cent for females in London.
Debra Kennedy is looking for a job in security. But as a former stay at home mom who recently re-entered the work-force, she's having a hard time.
"They're looking for skills and most jobs they're looking for experience. I have lack of experience," says Kennedy.
The findings also show that when jobs disappear on down the line from Ontario they often don't come back.
If they do, they're in much lower paying service sector jobs but that's not necessarily the case for London.
Unlike much of Canada, London has not gained in service jobs compared to what it lost in manufacturing.
"I think it's a wake up call to show that how poor London is performing in employment compared to other cities. So I think that you know we first have to admit that we have a problem before we can go ahead and fix it," says Moffat.
