Stephany Laverty and Janet Lane | September 2024

Download the EXECUTIVE SUMMARY


Economic stability and career opportunities. A rich and vibrant culture. A cost of living that’s lower than other provinces. Despite all that Manitoba has to offer, youth are leaving.

With this in mind, a project administered by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce through funding from the Government of Manitoba’s COVID-19 Long-Term Recovery Fund was launched, asking the Canada West Foundation to investigate why young people choose to leave the province and how they could be attracted and retained. The Canada West Foundation report, Finding Their Place: Manitoba youth mobility, is based on an extensive literature review and a broad investigation into the reality of life for youth in Manitoba.

This information was compared to the perceptions of 1,584 young adults (aged 18-45 years) from across Canada and 116 employers from across the province. Additional surveys of newcomers, First Nations youth, Francophones, and post-secondary alumni added to the understanding of the perceptions of young adults in Manitoba and their mobility intentions.

Key findings suggest youth have both perceptual and valid concerns that might motivate them to leave, and not all of them are economic. For instance:

  • Safety is a key concern for youth, who view Winnipeg and to a lesser extent, the rest of Manitoba, as unsafe.
  • Youth identified opportunities for career advancement, better benefits, flexible hours, remote work and more vacation as reasons they would consider leaving Manitoba for a job.
  • Youth also want to live in communities that are vibrant and offer diverse activities in arts and culture, and they perceive Manitoba as mostly rural with little diversity and vibrancy.
  • The top economic factors for youth considering a move to a new community or province are housing costs and low tax rates

However, it’s not one size fits all. Research highlighted differences in attitudes and experiences between newcomers, First Nations, and Francophone youth. For instance, First Nations youth prioritized family and community connection while Francophone youth wanted to live in larger Francophone communities. Newcomers prioritize a job and those communities or provinces where they can put their previous education and skills to work faster.

Field of work also makes a difference: for example, 50% of workers polled in the IT/Digital Media sector have a propensity to seek work outside Manitoba

Resolving identified challenges will be a complex process, in part because problems and solutions differ across subgroups, but they are not insurmountable. Manitobans can come together and work to change these and other narratives to keep youth at home.


Download the Executive Summary

Download the Full Report


Related work from Canada West Foundation

REPORT | The Young are Restless
Janet Lane and Aaron Murray, March 2022

REPORT | Work to Live: Alberta youth mobility
Janet Lane, Stephany Laverty and Dr. David Finch, March 2022

WHAT NOW? Policy Brief | Oh, the places youth could go!
Janet Lane, Riya Ganguly and Stephanie Laverty, June 2022

OP-ED | Alberta’s economy is diversifying but it still has some challenges to overcome
Jane Lane and David Finch