The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on all Canadians, but especially on young Canadians. That is why the Government of Canada continues to make historic investments to ensure that youth have the supports and opportunities they need to build long and successful careers.
Today, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced that more than 150,000 Canada Summer Jobs opportunities are now available at jobbank.gc.ca/youth. There, young Canadians can look for and apply for jobs in a wide variety of fields, including community and charity work, food industries, recreation and fitness, marketing and public relations, landscaping and farm labour, and many others.
In response to the ongoing pandemic, the Government is giving employers the flexibilities to hire youth to work on a full-time or part-time basis, as well as beyond the summer months, with some placements extending to February 2022.
This year's record-breaking number of job opportunities will help young Canadians discover different careers, gain meaningful experiences, and save up for school.
Supporting youth and ensuring their participation in all aspects of the economic recovery takes a collaborative and government-wide approach. Through Budget 2021, the Government is proposing to invest an additional $5.7 billion over the next five years to help young Canadians pursue and complete their education, acquire new skills and access more work opportunities. This is on top of the $7.4 billion already invested in young Canadians during the pandemic. Thousands more young Canadians will be able to benefit from the following historic Government actions:
- 30,600 new job placements through the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy in 2021-2022;
- 220,000 job placements through Canada Summer Jobs over the program's 2021 and 2022 seasons;
- 50,000 work-integrated learning placements through the Student Work Placement Program in 2021-2022;
- at least 85,000 work-integrated learning placements through Mitacs over the next 5 years starting in 2021-2022; and
- 28,000 training and work opportunities for young Canadians through the Canada Digital Technology Adoption program in 2021-2022.
Taken together, the Government of Canada's response to the current crisis represents one of the largest youth support packages in the world.
Quotes
"This year's Canada Summer Jobs program goes above and beyond to help support young Canadians through this pandemic. With a record-setting 150,000 job opportunities, more young Canadians across the country will be able to find a job and gain meaningful experience that they'll carry with them for the rest of their lives. There is only one way to describe the investments we have made and continue to make in young Canadians, and that is: ground-breaking. Our plan for a strong economic recovery includes youth and recognizes their important role in our future. We will always be there to support the next generation."
- Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough
"The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all Canadians and disproportionately certain segments, young people are no exception. Since the beginning, they have faced and continue to face a unique set of challenges and must be at the centre of Canada's recovery as we build back even better and consciously more inclusive. Prioritizing support for quality job opportunities, education, and skills-building for young Canadians - including those facing barriers - is not only a critical investment in their future success, it is also helping to empower them as leaders of today and tomorrow."
- Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth, Bardish Chagger
Quick facts
-
Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) is part of the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, which helps youth, particularly those facing barriers, to gain the skills and experience they need to successfully transition to the labour market. The program strives to give young Canadians between the ages of 15 and 30 paid work opportunities so that they can grow professionally and improve their skills in the not-for-profit, small business and public sectors. It also supports the delivery of key community services to Canadians.
-
In the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, temporary flexibilities similar to those introduced for CSJ 2020 are available this year to ensure that even more young Canadians can apply. These include:
- an increased wage subsidy, so that private and public sector employers can receive up to 75% of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage for each employee (not-for-profit organizations will continue to receive 100%);
- an extension to the end date for employment to February 26, 2022; and
- allowing employers to hire staff on a part-time basis.
-
The CSJ 2021 call for employer applications closed on February 3, 2021. Over 50,000 applications were received during the call, representing more than 240,000 jobs requested. More than 42,700 projects have been funded, representing more than 152,000 job opportunities.
-
CSJ-funded jobs started as early as April 26, 2021. The last possible date for a work placement to start is January 15, 2022. The latest end date for all CSJ jobs, subject to agreement length, is February 26, 2022.
