Best summer ever: Record number of Canada Summer Jobs in Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories

OTTAWA, June 23, 2016 /CNW/ - More students in Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories than ever before will be working under the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program this year, thanks to unprecedented interest shown by employers and students.

The Honourable MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, announced today that 436 jobs have been approved for funding in Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories this summer, compared to 146 jobs created in 2015, an increase of 231 percent.

Overall across the country, Employment and Social Development Canada received 30 percent more applications from employers, as small business owners hired more students, providing them with much-needed work experience.

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister, announced in June that more than 77,000 jobs were approved for funding for students across Canada through the CSJ program. That number is more than double last year's 34,000 and roughly 7,000 more than originally anticipated when the Government announced a boost to the funding in the federal budget earlier this year.

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

"Congratulations to both students and employers in the territories for helping the Government meet its goal of doubling the number of summer jobs funded by the annual program. As Canada's population ages, it's vitally important that young Canadians have access to meaningful work at the beginning of their careers. Young Canadians will get the experience they need to help them prepare for the job market thanks to enthusiastic employers who are hiring them under the Canada Summer Jobs program.

I have said it before and I am proud to say it again, the Canada Summer Jobs program works for Canada's youth."
– The Honourable MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour

Quick Facts

• In 2016, Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories were allotted nearly $1.7 millon of CSJ funding, compared to $505,300 in 2015.
• In Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, a total of 99 jobs in the small business sector have been approved for funding compared to 8 in 2015, an increase of 1,544 percent.
• A total of 94 jobs in the public sector have been approved for funding in Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories compared to 54 in 2015, an increase of 159 percent.
• In Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, a total of 243 jobs in the not-for-profit sector have been approved for funding, compared to 84 in 2015, an increase of 174 percent.
• Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories received a total of 213 applications compared to 127 in 2015, an increase of 86 percent.
• In 2015, 300,000 students were unable to find jobs during the summer in Canada.
• The annual budget for Canada Summer Jobs was increased by $113 million for each of the next three years, beginning in 2016–17, doubling the number of students being hired across the country this summer. This increase means more students will be getting much-needed experience.

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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 workforce. 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, aboriginal youth, 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 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 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 Young Canada Works; and
• 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 2016–17 will nearly double the number of job 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; and
• 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.

SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

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, [email protected]