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Applications for 2024 Canada Summer Jobs now open, Ottawa aims to support 70,000 positions

The mercury might be dropping, but it’s already time to start thinking about summer — if you’re looking to hire students, that is.

The application period for the federal government’s Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program opens today. Employers from not-for-profit organizations, the public sector, and private sector organizations with 50 or fewer full-time employees in Canada can apply for funding until Jan. 10, 2024, to hire young Canadians next summer. Full-time job placements will become available starting in April 2024.

“When our young people have the tools and opportunities to succeed – they thrive,” said Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth. “This is why our government will continue to invest in the success of our youth through an array of programming, including the Canada Summer Jobs program. Our young people deserve the very best, and that includes getting them into the job market, into careers they love, and making sure no one is left behind.”

Target: 70,000 summer jobs

CSJ 2024 aims to create 70,000 summer jobs for young Canadians, with an emphasis on creating jobs for youth facing barriers to employment, Ottawa said in a press release. Each year, the federal government establishes national priorities for CSJ to reflect Canada’s diverse population and evolving needs. The priorities for CSJ 2024 are:

• Youth with disabilities or with organizations that provide services to persons with disabilities;
• Youth that are underrepresented in the labour market, including: Black and other racialized youth; Indigenous youth; and 2SLGBTQI+ youth;
• Youth in rural areas, remote communities, or official language minority communities;
• Jobs that provide exposure or experience related to the skilled trades, which may include opportunities in the residential construction sector; and
• Sustainable jobs that support the protection of the environment or delivering positive environmental outcomes.

Apply online

Employers interested in applying for CSJ 2024 funding are encouraged to submit their applications electronically on the Grants and Contributions Online Services (GCOS) portal. Creating a GCOS account is a one-time process that allows organizations to apply for various Employment and Social Development Canada funding opportunities in a secure web environment.

The CSJ program is one of two programs that Employment and Social Development Canada delivers under the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS). Delivered in partnership by 12 federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations, YESS supports youth between the ages of 15 and 30 to gain the work experience and develop the skills they need to successfully transition into the labour market, it said.

In early October, the government launched a call for proposals under Employment and Social Development Canada’s YESS Program to fund projects that support youth who are facing barriers to employment.

Additional funding opportunities

To further support youth, additional funding opportunities are currently available through the Canada Service Corps (CSC) for organizations that provide meaningful volunteer service opportunities for young people between the ages of 12 and 30. Organizations can apply for funding through the CSC call for proposals until Dec. 19, 2023. Through the call, the CSC will aim to create approximately 36,000 service opportunities for youth.

Since 2020, CSJ has created more than 300,000 job opportunities for youth.

CSJ has a proven track record of providing meaningful job opportunities for youth. In a survey of CSJ youth participants for 2022, 97% of respondents reported that they had developed and strengthened transferable skills through their CSJ job placement, and 89% said that they had developed a positive attitude about their future employment prospects.

The unemployment rate for 15 to 29 year olds in October 2023 (both student and non-student) was 9.0%. However, for underrepresented groups, these rates tend to be higher.

CSJ-funded positions will be posted to Job Bank starting in April 2024 and will continue throughout the summer.