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“I’ve been applying for jobs for the last year,� Mahkeda Lochan, 17, told the Star. “Because I’m a student though, I can’t always get somewhere to apply in-person so I’ve just been doing all these online applications and getting rejected — or worse, sometimes not even getting a rejection email.�

“It’s disheartening,� she said.

Accompanied by their older sister, Mahkeda and her twin brother, Mahkai, are seeking jobs ahead of their final year of high school. They said they both feel pressure to secure more work experience ahead of post-secondary applications.

“I don’t really have big experience in anything outside of food service or retail, so it’s just difficult,â€� Mahkeda said.

The flood of applicants comes as unemployment, particularly among youth, has soared across Canada. For Canadians aged 14 to 24, the current unemployment rate teeters around 14 per cent, according to . In Ontario, that number jumps to almost a quarter, with nearly one in four teenagers 14 to 19 unemployed.

In a release issued last week, the CNE said it had received a record-breaking 54,000 online applications. Given the influx of applicants, the CNE expected one of its largest turnouts to date at Wednesday’s job fair. By noon, staff estimated that more than 2,500 job seekers were in attendance.

Ahead of the job fair, the CNE said it had already filled an estimated 1,000 positions, with another 5,000 positions, such as cashiers, game attendants, food service staff, and midway operators, up for grabs on Wednesday. The Star has asked the CNE how many jobs were offered over the course of the job fair but has yet to receive a response.

Vivi McConnell, 23, had been waiting in line about three hours before submitting his first application at the fair’s midway booth.

“I think I’ve submitted maybe 20 or so applications since the beginning of the summer,� he told the Star. “All that work … and for nothing.�

McConnell, a university student, said his studies make it so he can only work during the summers. In the past, he said he’s had no trouble securing a job ahead of the season. This year, he’s still looking in late July.

Like many attendees who spoke to the Star, McConnell chalks his difficulties up to the high unemployment rate.

“Unemployment is just so high and it feels like no one is hiring, or when they are, they’re hiring people with more experience,� McConnell said. “Suddenly, you need more experience to get the job but you need the job to get experience.�

“It just becomes this infinite loop of disappointment.�

For a handful of lucky applicants who were hired on the spot, that cycle came to an end Wednesday.

Seling Wong, along with her friends Madison, Adele, and Alex, were all offered jobs moments after applying at Astro Amusements, the provider of the CNE midway’s rides and carnival games.

“I was surprised at first because (Astro) was the first booth we applied at,� Wong told the Star while filling out employment paperwork, “but they just hired us right there.�

Like many other attendees, the group, all starting Grade 12 come fall, underwent lengthy job hunts before their success.

“I want to say I’ve dropped off maybe 50 or 60 applications over the last couple months,� Wong said. “And I haven’t gotten any responses. Like, why would you want to keep doing that?�

They’ll now all spend their final weeks of summer working side by side.

“It might not be at the same games, but we’ll be at the same company — with hours we like,� she continued, “so we’re happy.�

The CNE will kick off on Aug. 15 and run until Labour Day on Sept. 1.

With files from Anastasia Blosser