GATINEAU, QC, April 22, 2024 /CNW/ - A key pillar of the Government's plan for youth is a focus on making life more affordable for young Canadians—because when young people have the support they need to thrive, they can contribute to the economy, build a better life for themselves, and play an active role in their communities. The Government is restoring generational fairness by creating opportunities for young Canadians to get the skills they need for well-paying jobs. Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) supports this strategy by helping young people to earn money over the summer, while gaining skills and experience.

Today, the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, announced the launch of the 2024 hiring period for CSJ. This summer, more than 70,000 CSJ jobs are being made available for young people between the ages of 15 and 30. Young job seekers can find new job opportunities in their communities on the Job Bank website and mobile app. New jobs will continue to be added over the coming weeks.

Through CSJ, youth are able to apply for summer jobs in fields that interest them, whether it be the recreation sector, the food industry, marketing, or tourism. Jobs are also available in a variety of high-demand and growing fields, including the skilled trades and fields related to environmental protection. Youth are encouraged to check Job Bank regularly for updates and to share exciting job opportunities with their friends.

CSJ prioritizes projects that support youth who face barriers to employment. This includes youth with disabilities, Indigenous youth, as well as Black and other racialized youth. By providing all young people with equitable opportunities to develop their skills, Canada Summer Jobs can help them to succeed in the job market.

Canada Summer Jobs is delivered through the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) and is part of a wide variety of programs offered by the Government of Canada to help youth gain the skills, education, and work experience they need to successfully transition into the workforce.

"The Canada Summer Jobs program is more than just an employment program, it's an investment in the potential of young Canadians and the economic vitality of our communities. This program gives thousands of employers the opportunity to meet their staffing needs over the summer, and it gives youth valuable work experience that will set them up for a lifetime of success in the job market. It's a win-win for employers and for young people across Canada."

– The Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth

• To help younger Canadians pursue and achieve their dreams, the Government is investing to create more youth job opportunities and ensure that hard work pays off for the next generation. In Budget 2024, the Government proposed the creation of 90,000 youth job placements and employment support opportunities by proposing $200.5 million in 2025–2026 for Canada Summer Jobs to provide well-paying summer job opportunities, including in sectors facing critical labour shortages, such as housing construction.
• CSJ-funded jobs are full-time (30 to 40 hours per week), with a duration of 6 to 16 weeks (average duration being 8 weeks).
• Since 2020, CSJ has created more than 383,000 job opportunities for youth. Last year, CSJ surpassed its job creation target of 70,000 with over 74,200 jobs created.
• In a survey of CSJ youth participants for 2023, 92% of respondents reported having more confidence in multiple skills needed for future employment than they had at the beginning of their CSJ work placement. Additionally, 89% indicated that they had developed a positive attitude about their future employment prospects.
• Youth are also encouraged to explore additional opportunities available through other federal departments under the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy:
  • Every year, Parks Canada hires a large number of young people to work in spectacular locations and gain real-world experience in a wide variety of occupations, including in visitor experience, heritage presentation, conservation, biology, finance and administration, human resources and more. Candidates can apply to up to 10 work locations at once through the Summer Jobs Inventory. Visit Parks Canada student and youth jobs to find out more.

Backgrounder: Canada Summer Jobs 2024

Canada Summer Jobs  
jobbank.gc.ca/youth 

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Program overview

Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) is part of the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, a horizontal federal initiative that supports youth aged 15 to 30—particularly those facing barriers to employment— to gain work experience and develop the skills they need to successfully transition into the labour market.

CSJ is delivered by Employment and Social Development Canada. The program supports employers to create summer jobs for youth in the not-for-profit, public, and private sectors. It includes a focus on small businesses with 50 or fewer full-time employees. CSJ provides youth with opportunities to develop and improve their skills. For some, it will be their first job experience, and it will inform their future education, training and career choices.  The program is responsive to national and local priorities as well as labour market needs.

The hiring period for CSJ 2024 is underway and will run until July 22, 2024. More than 70,000 jobs that matter to young people and to our communities will be posted on the Job Bank website and mobile app, and will be updated on a regular basis. Young people are encouraged to keep checking for updates on placements available in their communities.

Youth participants:  

Eligible participants must be:

• between 15 and 30 years of age (inclusive) at the start of employment;
• Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or persons on whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act; and
• legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations.

International students are not eligible. Recent immigrants are eligible if they are Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

Employers:

Eligible Canadian employers can be from the not-for-profit, public and private sectors. Private sector employers must have 50 or fewer full-time employees across Canada to be eligible (full-time employees are those working 30 hours or more per week).

The employer application period is now closed for CSJ 2024. Employers interested in applying for CSJ funding next year are encouraged to open an account on the secure Grants and Contributions Online Services portal.

Ineligible Canadian employers include members of the House of Commons and the Senate, federal government departments and agencies, and provincial departments and agencies.

Projects and job activities are ineligible if they:

• have activities that take place outside of Canada;
• include activities that contribute to the provision of a personal service to the employer;
• involve partisan political activities;
• involve fundraising activities to cover salary costs for the youth participant;
• restrict access to programs, services or employment, or otherwise discriminate, contrary to applicable laws, on the basis of prohibited grounds, including sex, genetic characteristics, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression;
• advocate intolerance, discrimination or prejudice; or
• actively work to undermine or restrict a woman's access to sexual and reproductive health services.

SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

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