Transition binder two for the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth

Table of content

Youth – Overview

• Youth in Canada
• Canadian Youth in Focus
• Youth Secretariat

Youth in Canada

Key issues and trends

In 2023, there were 4.8M youth between ages 15-24 in Canada representing 12% of the population.

1 - Even with signs of easing, the labour market remains tight in certain sectors. Youth are one of two main groups to address shortages. A key challenge for employers is finding workers with the skills needed.

Figure 1: Projected job openings and job seekers, 2022-2031

2 - Youth (15-24) unemployment has trended up over the last year. In July 2024, the unemployment rate was 14.2% up from 10.6% observed 12 months earlier. Youth from underrepresented groups continue to experience higher rates.

Figure 2: Monthly unemployment rate by age group, Canada, Jan. 2006 to July 2024, seasonally adjusted

Figure 3: Some youth populations (15-24) have higher unemployment rates than all youth

3 - In 2024, 815,000 youth aged 15-29 were not in employment, education or training (NEET), representing 11% of the youth population. This means that 1 in 10 youth are at risk of being left behind.

Figure 4: NEET rates by youth age groups, 1976 to 2024

4 - Youth are resilient but risks of scarring effects are high should there be an economic downturn in the future.

Previous recessions saw youth struggle for a decade due to labour market scarring.

There are more NEET youth (15-29) that are not participating in the labour market (453,000) than are unemployed but looking for work (363,000). Disengagement increases risk of falling behind and there may be challenges to entering or re-entering labour force.



Youth aged 25 to 29 with a high school diploma or less are significantly more likely to be NEET than their higher educated peers (29% vs. 10%).

NEET youth almost twice as likely to report poor or fair mental health vs. non-NEET youth (14% vs. 8%)^{Footnote *} 

5 - Canadian youth are more educated than ever, but barriers to high school graduation, the first milestone for success, and PSE continue to be a concern for underserved learners.

Figure 5: Select underrepresented youth aged 20 to 24 who have not completed high school, 2021

Figure 6: PSE attainment rates among select underrepresented groups aged 25 to 34, 2021

6 - Youth are Canada’s leaders of tomorrow and today. Encouraging active citizenship enables them to shape communities they want to live in and grow.

Figure 7: Formal volunteering avg. hours per year, population age 15+, by generation, 2018

Figure 8: Preparedness of youth for civic leadership

7 - Youth face affordability challenges with the rising cost of living

Youth face rising tuition, rent and housing costs. Over 25% of 15- to 24- year-olds reported difficulty making ends meet in the third quarter of 2023. At the same time 3 in 10 non-student youth earned near the minimum wage in 2023, raising concerns about their ability to adequately save or invest in their future.



In the first quarter of 2024, younger households with a major income earner under 35 years old had debt loads worth 182% of their disposable income.

Figure 9: Proportion of non-student employees earning up to $2 above min. wage by age group, 2023

The rising cost of living will make it even more challenging for many students to access high-impact learning activities like work-integrated learning, volunteering, and studying abroad.

Investing in Canada’s students and youth

Preparing youth to get and keep good jobs


MLC: Continue scaling up youth and student skills and employment programming and initiatives for Canadian youth.

Helping youth overcome barriers to employment

• Youth Employment and Skills Strategy Program:
  • Comprehensive supports for youth facing barriers to employment: employability, wrap-around, training, work placements, mentoring and coaching. Delivered by ESDC and 11 other federal departments, agencies and crown corporations^{Footnote 2} . Skills development and work placements in range of sectors (IT, transport, agriculture, housing, forestry, social services).

Since April 2020 90,500+³  youth served via YESS Program

2022-2023 26,000+ youth served. Of this 17,000 served under ESDC YESS Program

ESDC YESS Program results 2022-2023

• 39% racialized youth
• 25% youth with disabilities
• 18% Indigenous youth

Figure 10: Status after participating in ESDC YESS Program

• 73% of youth were in employment or returned to school after participation

Supporting youth first work experiences

• Canada Summer Jobs:
  • Helps youth get paid summer work experience and develop skills by working with employers from not-for-profit organizations, the public sector and small businesses.
  • Helps break down barriers to entry
• Since April 2020: 300,000+ job opportunities
• 2022-2023: 115,000+ job opportunities
  • 62% women
  • 4% Indigenous youth
  • 21% racialized youth
  • 9% youth with disabilities
  • 97% reported gaining transferable skills

Enabling PSE students to be “work-ready” for in-demand jobs^{Footnote 3}

• Student Work Placement Program:
  • Creates meaningful work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities for students, helping them to reach their full potential by equipping them with the work-ready skills employers are looking for.
  • 9 of 10 participating employers reported students gained work-related skills. 3 of 4 employers indicated a willingness to hire student following work placement.

Since 2017: 190,000+WIL opportunities

2022-2023: 50,000+ WIL placements: 48% students in under-represented groups including women in STEM, racialized groups, persons with disabilities, newcomers, Indigenous people

• 20,000+ Employers have participated from in-demand sectors^{Footnote 4} 
• 300+ Post-Secondary Education institutions have participated

Empowering young leaders to make a difference in their communities


MLC: Continue to expand and diversify the Canada Service Corps

Facilitating meaningful service experiences for youth

• Canada Service Corps:
  • Youth access volunteer opportunities to give back to communities across Canada and build their skills for the future.

Since 2018 41,800+ service opportunities

• 32,000+ service placements
  • 3.8M hours of service
• 9,800 micro-grants for youth led projects

Figure 11: Top 5 skills participants developed or enhanced (2022-2023):

Positioning youth and students for success

Complementary ESDC programming targeting youth and students

Fostering access and success in education

• Canada Education Savings Program:
  • Helps Canadian families save, plan and pay for their children’s postsecondary education through government contributions to RESPs.
  • In 2023, $5.9B withdrawn from RESPs for post-secondary education for close to 545,000 students
• Supports for Student Learning Program
  • Afterschool and student supports to help underserved learners succeed in high school as well as opportunities to study and work abroad.
  • Since April 2020, supports have been provided to over 300,000 learners
• Canada Student Financial Assistance Program
  • Grants, loans and repayment assistance to help Canadian students from low- and middle-income families access post-secondary education.
  • In 2022 – 2023, $3.5B in Canada Student Grants and $3.1B in Canada Student Loans to 682,000 students

Promoting the skilled trades to youth

• SkillsCompétences Canada:
  • Promotes skilled trades/technology careers to Canadian youth through national and regional competitions.
  • National Competition, 500+ youth participate every year
• National campaign to promote the skilled trades
  • Raises awareness and encourages young Canadians to follow their passion and find a rewarding career in a skilled trade.
  • Since January 2022, over 1.1 million visits to the Canada.ca/skilled-trades website

Canadian Youth in Focus

 A Youth Perspective on Issues Canadians are Most Concerned About^{Footnote 5} 

Canadian youth profile

• Generally defined as those between the ages of 15 and 30 and seen as a transition toward autonomous adulthood^{Footnote 6} .
• Youth (ages 15-29) account for roughly 6.6 million (or 17.9%) of Canada’s population^{Footnote 7} .
• Form a heterogeneous group that intersects with diversity variables including, among others, sex, gender identity, race, indigeneity, ethnicity, religion, and language^{Footnote 8} .

(Dis)trusting government

General Concerns

• 53% of Canadians say they are either frustrated or angry with the federal government^{Footnote 9} .
• 63% Voter turnout in 2021, down from 68% in 2015 - a 5% drop^{Footnote 10} .

Figure 12: Trust by level of government

Impacts on youth

• Younger generations are more skeptical of the importance (and ability) of government in providing services that make the country better 
• 10% drop: 47% of youth (18-24) voted in 2021 – down from 57% in 2015 
• Only 38% of youth (11-26) feel the country is “living up to the value of democracy”^{Footnote 11}

Healthcare

General Concerns

• 63% of Canadians identify insufficient staffing
• 47% identify long wait times / access to treatment as the healthcare system’s most pressing issues^{Footnote 12} 
• Canadians report a decrease in the quality of their mental health^{Footnote 13}

Impacts on Youth

• 57% of Gen Z/Millennials experienced periods of anxiety
• 21% experienced periods of depression in the past year^{Footnote 14} 
• Youth (15-30) from lower income households are more likely to report poorer mental health and a higher degree of “suicidal ideation”
• As they come into their sexual and gender identities, visible minority youth “have the highest rates of anxiety and depression”
• Youth in middle-school have higher psychological and social well-being than those in high-school^{Footnote 15} 

Climate change

General Concerns

• 72% Percentage of Canadians concerned about climate change^{Footnote 20 Footnote20Footnote}
• 52% Feel the federal government has done too little^{Footnote 21}

Impacts on youth

• 51% of Millennials/Gen Z’ers believe the environmental situation will deteriorate by 2024 
• 56% of youth (16-25) report experiencing fear, sadness, anxiety, and powerlessness over climate change^{Footnote 22} 

Cost of living

General Concerns

• In recent years, the cost of living has been among the most cited concerns raised by Canadians^{Footnote 27} 
• 47% report living paycheque-to-paycheque^{Footnote 28} 
• A steady increase in the cost of necessities has created financial challenges and concerns for many^{Footnote 29} 
• Homelessness and chronic homelessness are on the rise^{Footnote 30}

Impacts on youth

• Concerns around affordability are more pronounced than for older Canadians 
• 38% of youth (aged 20-29) do not think it’s financially feasible to have children in the next three years^{Footnote 31} 
• 43% aged 20-29 live with a parent  
• 18% aged 20 to 29 live with roommates
• The poverty rate (14%) among youth aged 18-24 is double the overall rate and highest among all age groups 
• Youth with minority sexual orientations are at greater risk of homelessness^{Footnote 32}

Skills development and employment

General Concerns

• 10.5% of Canadians are confident in the availability of future job opportunities^{Footnote 34} 
• 5.8% 2023 unemployment rate and is expected to rise to 6.2% in 2024^{Footnote 35}

Impacts on Youth

• 10.3% The unemployment rate for Canadians (15-24), almost double the national average^{Footnote 36} 
• Income inequality has been associated with “increased hazard of all-cause death, deaths of despair and drug overdose” in youth^{Footnote 37} Footnote
• Young immigrants (64.5%) are slightly less likely to be employed than young Canadian-born individuals (68.7%)^{Footnote 38}

The Youth Secretariat

• Established in 2016 to support a whole-of-government approach to addressing issues of priority interest to youth in Canada.
  • Facilitates engagement with youth, including by serving as secretariat to the Prime Minister’s Youth Council
  • Helps amplify youth voices, including through Canada’s Youth Policy and the quadrennial State of Youth Report
  • Encourages the consideration of youth perspectives in government policy, program and decision-making, including through the Youth Impact Assessment Tool
  • Does not administer funding programs, but serves as pathfinder when needed
• Moved from the Privy Council Office to Canadian Heritage in 2019.
  • The Anti-Racism Secretariat and the 2SLGBTQ+ Secretariat were transferred to Canadian Heritage at the same time (the former is now housed at Employment and Social Development Canada, and the latter at Women and Gender Equality Canada)