HALIFAX -- Couple COVID with lockdowns and finding work as a student or recent graduate is proving to be a difficult task.

Owen Fahey recently graduated from Dalhousie with an accounting major.

He said he's applied for about 20 jobs in the past two weeks. So far, he hasn't gotten past the initial first call back of an interview process.

"It's a little disheartening sometimes because you're putting so much work in," Fahey said. "It's just kind of a bummer to not hear back again and again."

Dal student Ben Shoveller has a job lined up at Dalplex but as long as there's a lockdown, he's not working. And neither are most of his friends.

"I feel like the majority of people are looking or the majority of people do have a spot, but just like right now with the current lockdown, I feel like a lot of people my age are out of work," Shoveller said.

Gyms are closed. Restaurants are only open for takeout. Tourists aren't arriving in Nova Scotia.

"Those are the industries where a lot of young people would find their employment between May and August," said Ed McHugh, a business professor. "This is a very tough time for students to find a job."

Ambassatours Gray Line and Murphy's the Cable Wharf run the Harbour Hopper, Tall Ship Silva and tours to Georges Island while also operating a waterfront restaurant and gift shop and bus tours. CEO Dennis Campbell said he would usually employ more than 450 staff during the summer — most of whom are students — but this year he can only hire 35 seasonal staff and 15 full-time staff.

"We're looking at employing about 10 per cent of the normal staff we would employ," Campbell said. "We just don't have any cruise ship work for the season. We're looking forward to 2022."

In 2020, students could apply to receive cash from Ottawa. The Canada Emergency Student benefit offered eligible students $1,250 a month from May to August but so far this year, that option does not exist.

"If they can't find work because of the pandemic I think the government should be doing something to give them a little support," Fahey said.

"And it's not like they can leave the region and go to another region or part of the country because it appears to be the same coast to coast," said McHugh.

Brendon Bernard, Senior Economist with Indeed Canada, said overall the hiring landscape in Atlantic Canada is looking pretty solid, but within the pockets of the economy most impacted by the pandemic, Bernard said there is weakness and uncertainty.

"That means challenges. Especially for youth who would likely find work in those areas like restaurants or summer camps," Bernard said.

He said in Nova Scotia, job postings on Indeed are quite strong and up 29 per cent of their pre-pandemic level. He said overall it suggests employers are looking to hire. He predicts landscaping and construction companies will be looking to hire a lot of people this summer but the hospitality sector is a different story.

"It's really those areas like hospitality and tourism and restaurants where there's still some uncertainty over how fully we'll be reopening where the challenges are going to linger," Bernard said.

Krista Higdon, a spokesperson for Nova Scotia's Department of Labour and Advanced Education, said the province continues to provide programs within public health guidelines to help students and recent graduates with their search for work this summer.

Programs include the Student Summer Skills program that supports more than 800 post-secondary students working with non-profits and the Co-op Education Incentive (CEI), which the province said supports hundreds more post-secondary students working in the private and non-profit sector.