Fixing the Leaks: Why Too Many Young Atlantic Canadians Are Falling Behind

Our guest on this week’s Insights podcast is Lana Asaff, Senior Economist with the Atlantic Economic Council.  Lana stopped by to talk about a new report published by the Council entitled “Fixing the Leaks in Atlantic Canada’s Education-to-Employment Pipeline”.   This conversation was a little unusual for the pod as it got quite animated.  There wasn’t a lot of good news in this report. Lana reported on the many challenges in the K-12 system, from lowering test scores and rising absenteeism to the unpreparedness of many high school students to enter post-secondary education.  Some 40% of university students drop out before finishing their degree. Both Don and David feel very strongly about the need to address the growing challenges in the region’s K-12 education system. Lana also discussed the youth NEET population (not in employment, education or training).  More than 58,000 or 12% of Atlantic Canadians aged 15–29 were NEET during the 2024/2025 school year. Forgone income among NEET aged 20–29 exceeded $470 million regionally in 2024/2025.This report is a sobering reminder of the challenges and should be a wake-up call for all Atlantic Canadians who care about the region’s future.Read the full report here:https://atlanticeconomiccouncil.ca/page/AGPEducationEmploymentPipelineJune2026