Canadian College and University Layoffs 2024–2026: What Affected Employees Should Know

Canadian post-secondary institutions are in the middle of a significant workforce contraction. Ontario's public college sector has been hit hardest, with close to 10,000 faculty and staff positions eliminated or projected for elimination since 2024. Universities in Quebec and British Columbia are also cutting staff, freezing hiring, and declining to renew contracts. If you work at a college or university and your job has been affected, here is what you need to know.

What Is Driving the Layoffs

The layoffs are not the result of a single policy or event. They stem from the convergence of two long-standing structural pressures that came to a head simultaneously.

The first is the federal government's reduction in international study permits. Immigration Canada has progressively tightened permit ceilings: 485,000 in 2024, 437,000 in 2025, and 408,000 projected for 2026. Some reporting indicates that permits for certain categories were cut nearly in half between one cycle and the next. Ontario colleges saw a 48% drop in first-semester international student enrollment at 23 of 24 institutions from September 2023 to September 2024.

The second driver is structural provincial underfunding. Ontario colleges have long relied on international tuition revenue to offset the losses they incur on domestic students, whose tuition is capped by the province at levels that do not cover actual costs. When international enrollment collapsed, institutions faced multi-year deficits with no short-term mechanism for relief. One Ontario college projected a $60 million deficit in 2025–26 rising to $93 million the year after without intervention. Georgian College reported a $45 million funding gap for 2025–26.

The combination produced program cancellations, campus closures, hiring freezes, and mass layoffs across the sector — a pattern that is now spreading to universities in other provinces.

The Scale of Job Losses: Ontario Colleges

Ontario's public college sector accounts for the largest share of layoffs. As of mid-2025, 19 of 24 colleges had reported current and planned staff reductions. The confirmed totals, compiled from arbitration data, Colleges Ontario, and OPSEU, include:

• Close to 10,000 faculty and staff positions eliminated or projected for elimination
• More than 600 programs cancelled or suspended province-wide
• At least four college campuses closed or announced for closure

Individual institutions illustrate the breadth of the cuts:

Mohawk College has eliminated 255 full-time positions since December 2024, along with 35 lost through contract non-renewals and over 100 part-time roles. This represents approximately 20% of the full-time workforce.

Loyalist College is suspending intake for 30% of its programs starting fall 2025, following a $40 million drop in international revenue expected in 2025–26 and an additional $8 million decrease the year after. The institution plans a 20% staffing reduction through a mix of voluntary exits, attrition, retirements, and layoffs.

Conestoga College accounts for at least 190 layoffs and 82 program cancellations out of the system-wide totals.

Centennial College's Story Arts Centre in Toronto is scheduled to close in summer 2026, displacing both staff and students.

Seneca Polytechnic closed its Markham campus due to enrollment decline, while Algonquin College announced plans to close its Perth campus. Sheridan cut 40 programs; St. Lawrence dropped approximately 40% of its program catalog.

Universities: Quebec, B.C., and Beyond

The layoff pattern extends beyond Ontario colleges into the university sector.

Concordia University implemented a 7.2% budget reduction across all departments for 2025–26. A hiring freeze is in effect, temporary contracts for 63 faculty members will not be renewed, and sabbaticals have been canceled. Faculty representatives have argued that the financial savings come at significant academic and student-experience cost.

McGill University announced plans to eliminate approximately 24 varsity and competitive sports teams starting in 2026–27, citing resource constraints. The decision drew public criticism and a petition with thousands of signatures.

Across British Columbia, universities are facing layoffs affecting dozens of campuses. The specifics are still emerging — reductions in contract teaching, support staff layoffs, and program consolidations are the common themes — but the pressure stems from the same combination of federal policy and funding model constraints visible in Ontario.

Your Employment Rights in Ontario

If you are employed at an Ontario college or university and have been laid off, your rights are governed primarily by the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) and, where applicable, your collective agreement.

Under the ESA, employees may be entitled to notice of termination or pay in lieu of notice, as well as severance pay depending on length of service and the employer's payroll. The specific amounts depend on your years of service and your employer's circumstances.

Key steps to take if your position has been affected:

• Review your collective agreement immediately if you are unionized
• Confirm whether your termination is temporary layoff or permanent elimination
• Request written notice of termination and the stated reason
• Ask HR for a full accounting of your severance and benefit continuation
• Document all communications in writing from this point forward
• Contact your union representative before signing anything

Unionized employees at Ontario colleges — represented primarily by OPSEU — have additional protections and recall rights that vary by classification. OPSEU has been actively involved in tracking and challenging layoffs across the sector, and your local union office is a critical first contact.

Practical Job Search Guidance for College and University Staff

Faculty and staff leaving post-secondary institutions often underestimate how transferable their skills are outside the sector. Education experience translates well into corporate training, instructional design, policy work, research roles, communications, and program management.

Practical steps to move your search forward:

• Update your resume to reflect transferable skills, not just titles and duties
• Identify adjacent industries where your subject matter expertise is valued
• Activate your professional network — college and university alumni networks often have strong industry connections
• Check postings at school boards, training providers, workforce development organizations, and government education departments
• Consider contract and consulting work as a bridge while you search for permanent roles
• Use platforms designed for structured job searching to stay organized across multiple applications

Affected employees can build a resume tailored to their next role using Yotru's AI-powered tools, which are designed to help workers translate sector-specific experience into language that resonates with hiring managers outside their current field.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Losing a position in education — a sector where many workers have deep professional identity — can be disorienting. The scale of these layoffs means many colleagues are facing the same situation simultaneously, which can feel both validating and overwhelming.

It is worth naming that the stress of job loss in a sector you have invested in is real and appropriate. At the same time, the transferability of education sector skills is genuine and documented.

Practical supports to consider:

• Access your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) before your benefits end, as mental health coverage typically continues through the notice period
• Connect with professional associations in your field — many offer transition resources and job boards
• Maintain structured daily routines during the job search period; research consistently shows this supports wellbeing and search effectiveness
• Lean on union support networks, which often include peer counseling and transition assistance
• Set weekly search targets to maintain momentum without burning out

Build a Resume That Reflects Your Post-Secondary Experience

Translating a career in post-secondary education into a resume that lands outside the sector takes more than copy-pasting your job description. Hiring managers in industry, government, and the non-profit sector are looking for outcomes, not just activities — and most education-sector resumes lead with responsibilities rather than results.

Yotru's resume builder is designed to help workers in exactly this situation. The platform guides you through translating your experience into achievement-focused language that performs in applicant tracking systems and resonates with hiring managers who may not understand post-secondary institution structures. You can build multiple targeted versions for different industries and role types without starting from scratch each time.

For workers navigating layoffs more broadly, what to do after a massive layoff and how to upskill after a layoff are practical starting points. If you are ready to build your resume now, get started at Yotru.