Results are in: 77,000 jobs approved for funding through Canada Summer Jobs
News Release
June 2, 2016 Ottawa, Ontario Employment and Social Development Canada
Canada’s prosperity will increasingly depend on young Canadians getting the education and the experience they need to prepare for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Now more than ever, it is important that young Canadians have access to meaningful work at the beginning of their careers.
Today, the Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, announced that more students than ever before will find work this year under the Canada Summer Jobs program (CSJ).
Over 77,000 jobs have been approved for funding under the CSJ program this year – more than double last year’s 34,000. Thanks to the unprecedented response from employers, particularly in small businesses, at this time we have approved 7,000 more jobs than we planned to create in 2016.
The Prime Minister made the announcement with the Honourable MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour at the CHEO Research Institute – where he told students that the skills they will learn in their summer jobs will help get them ready for their future careers, save for their education, and help strengthen the middle class, all at the same time.
The Government of Canada remains committed to supporting youth employment, and will make sure that young Canadians develop the skills and gain the experience they need to secure good, well-paying jobs.
Quote
“I heard many of you say that you want to leave your mark on Canada, and on the world. Today’s announcement will provide the chance for so many young Canadians to shine while serving their communities.”
– The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
“I am proud to say that it was all worth it, we increased the funding and more than doubled the number of summer jobs, which means more students will find employment this summer while contributing to their communities.”
– The Honourable MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
“The Canada Summer Jobs program is a win-win for employers and for students. The students we hire enrich and enhance the world-class medical research we are performing at CHEO, while the students gain real world experience. We are proud to participate in the Canada Summer Jobs program and help build Canada’s future medical and science leaders, today.”
– Dr. Martin Osmond, CEO and Scientific Director of the CHEO Research Institute
“This is a chance for a hands-on lab experience during my undergraduate years, which will introduce me to the real world of medical research and help guide my decision for my future career. What’s really exciting for me is the possibility of my work discovering a new therapy for a currently untreatable rare disease.”
– Sophie Leblanc, 18-years old, summer student at the CHEO Research Institute
Quick Facts
- In 2015, 300,000 students were unable to find jobs during the summer in Canada
- In 2016, ESDC approved funding for 2,419 summer jobs in the Ottawa area.
- The province of Ontario received a total of 12,425 applications compared to 8,623 in 2015, an increase of 44.1 percent
- This year, Employment and Social Development Canada received 30 percent more applications from employers, which demonstrates the Government’s investment in the expanded Canada Summer Jobs program was a much needed initiative
- In all, 36,833 applications were received from employers across the country, up from 28,352 last year
- CSJ creates summer job opportunities and provides valuable work experience for youth aged 15 to 30 intending to return to their full-time studies in the next school year. The program also helps employers generate jobs that focus on priorities important to their local communities as well as on a number of national priorities that include, in 2016: the settlement of Syrian refugees, Indigenous people, small businesses and cultural and creative industries to support the celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation
- In 2016, 13,373 summer jobs have been approved in small businesses of 50 employees or less, an increase of 397%.
- The annual budget for Canada Summer Jobs was increased by $113 million for each of the next three years, beginning in 2016–17 to double the number of students hired across the country this summer. This increase means more students will be getting much needed work experience
- In 2016, the Canada Summer Jobs program has approved roughly 31,000 jobs through nearly 9,800 projects in Ontario, while helping students learn new skills, get work experience and save money for their education
- CHEO Research Institute is expected to hire 20 students who will be testing new viruses, experimenting in molecular and cell biology, collecting data for research involving children with lung disease, children with heart disease, and working alongside clinicians in the cardiology, neurology, rheumatology and mental health departments.
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Contacts
John O’Leary
Director of Communications
Office of the Hon. MaryAnn Mihychuk, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
819-654-5611
Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
media@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
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Backgrounder
Youth Employment Strategy
The Youth Employment Strategy (YES) is the Government of Canada’s commitment to help youth make a successful transition to the workplace. YES helps youth between the ages of 15 to 30 get the information and gain the skills, job experience and abilities they need to make a successful transition to the workplace. YES includes Skills Link, Career Focus and Summer Work Experience and is delivered by 11 federal departments.
- Skills Link helps youth facing barriers to employment -- including single parents, youth with disabilities, young newcomers and youth in rural and remote areas -- to develop employability skills and gain experience they need to find a job or return to school.
- Career Focus helps post-secondary graduates transition to the labour market through paid internships and helps provide youth with the information and experience they need to make informed career decisions, find a job and/or pursue advanced studies.
- Summer Work Experience provides wage subsidies to employers to create summer employment for secondary and post-secondary students. The Summer Work Experience program includes Canada Summer Jobs.
Each year, the Government invests approximately $330 million in the YES to help young people gain the skills and experience they need to find and keep good jobs.
Budget 2016 builds on that amount and proposes to invest an additional $278.4 million in 2016-17 in the YES to help nurture and develop underutilized and untapped talent, such as Indigenous youth, youth with disabilities, single parents and newcomers by:
- Creating new green jobs for youth
- Increasing the number of youth who access the Skills Link program, which helps young Canadians overcome barriers to employment
- Supporting employment opportunities in the heritage sector under the Young Canada Works
- New investments in the Canada Summer Jobs program
Canada Summer Jobs
In February 2016, the Government announced that it will create up to 35,000 additional jobs in each of the next three years under the Canada Summer Jobs program. The investment of $339 million over three years, starting in 2016-2017, will nearly double the number of jobs opportunities supported by the program.
Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) provides funding to not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers, and small businesses with 50 or fewer employees to create summer job opportunities for students.
CSJ creates summer job opportunities and provides valuable work experience for youth intending to return to their studies full-time in the next school year. The program also helps employers generate jobs that focus on priorities important to their local communities as well as on a number of national priorities that include:
- employers who help welcome and settle Syrian refugees to Canada, as well as Syrian students
- Indigenous people, who are among the fastest-growing segments of the Canadian population
- small businesses working to become more innovative, competitive and successful, in recognition of their key contribution to the creation of new jobs
- cultural and creative industries looking to create jobs and to strengthen our rich Canadian identity. This latter priority will support the planning of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017.
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