MARCI Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, and Arif Virani, Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada, on Wednesday highlighted the impact of the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program in creating over 70,000 job opportunities for youth across Canada. This initiative is part of the Government of Canada’s ongoing commitment to support young Canadians, making life more affordable and providing them with the skills and experience needed to build a better future.
The CSJ program 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.
This year’s budget includes a proposed $200.5 million investment for 2025–26 to continue the Canada Summer Jobs program. These job opportunities have enabled youth to gain valuable work experience, develop essential skills and earn money over the summer in various sectors, including those facing critical labor shortages such as housing construction.
The government says that lifting up Gen Z by ensuring they have good opportunities to launch their career will be critical to Canada’s economic growth potential in the years to come. As baby boomers are increasingly reaching retirement age, our younger workforce must be equipped with opportunities to build their skills and gain meaningful work experience. Gen Z needs the confidence of knowing they will find a good job that will help them get ahead.
Ien said: “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 win-win for employers and for young people across Canada.”
Virani said: “Canada Summer Jobs helps connect employers in Toronto and across the country with the workforce of the future. I encourage young people to visit jobbank.gc.ca/youth today to find many great summer job opportunities in fields that interest them.”
CSJ-funded jobs are full-time (30–40 hours per week) and have a duration of 6–16 weeks (average duration being 8 weeks). Since 2020, CSJ has created more than 380,000 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.
