As of this summer, the city's unemployment rate has surged to a panic-inducing 8.8 per cent, with young people facing a particularly hard time securing paying gigs. In sharing the news of the Ex's upcoming job fair on Wednesday, July 30, event organizers stated that they have already received over 54,000 applications from eager hopefuls — more than any other year, making this their busiest job fair yet. Seasonal roles at the CNE are particularly popular with this demographic, which made up 81 per cent of its workforce last year. For those interested, the job fair starts at 11 a.m. on Wednesday in Hall C of the Enercare Centre at Exhibition Place, 100 Princes' Boulevard. And, as mentioned, the CNE itself starts on Friday, August 15 and runs until Labour Day, September 1.