More than 140,000 jobs available in various sectors
The federal government launched the hiring period for Canada Summer Jobs 2022.
For this year’s version of the program, Canadians aged 15 to 30 can apply for more than 140,000 jobs in the community and recreation sector, the food industry, marketing, the tourism industry and other fields.
“Canada Summer Jobs supports the incredible talent and leadership of youth who are already at the centre of change. There is no doubt that when given the right tools to succeed, youth create purposeful innovation,” says Marci Ien, minister for women and gender equality and youth.
The call for employer applications closed on Jan. 25, 2022. Employment and Social Development Canada received more than 48,000 applications, representing over 233,000 jobs requested. More than 39,000 projects were approved for funding, for a total of 140,000 job opportunities.
This year, CSJ is prioritizing projects that support youth who have not completed high school or who are not currently enrolled in an education or training program, as well as Black, Indigenous and racialized young people, youth with disabilities, and youth from the LGBTQ2+ community. People can look for jobs at jobbank.gc.ca/youth.
The Marketing Mentors program – expected to launch this spring – is seeking to increase the representation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of colour) and newcomer communities within the field of marketing through mentorship opportunities.
Youth’s struggles
Employment among 15- to 24-year-olds took a hit during the pandemic, reaching an unemployment rate of 28.8 per cent in May 2020, according to the government. And 50 per cent of Canadians under 30 experienced working reduced hours and losing their jobs.
Younger workers suffered disproportionately amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report from the International Labour Organization (ILO). Also, more than three-quarters (77 per cent) of students lost a summer job opportunity as a direct result of the pandemic, according to a separate report.
But things have been better: In March 2022, the overall youth employment rate (58.6 per cent) was essentially unchanged (+0.5 percentage points) from its pre-pandemic rate (February 2020), while the unemployment rate (9.8 per cent) sat just below (-0.8 percentage points) that from 25 months earlier, according to the federal government.
However, this is not the same for all. Indigenous youth not living on a reserve had an employment rate of 52.1 per cent and an unemployment rate of 16.5 per cent. Visible minority youth experienced an employment rate of 48.4 per cent and an unemployment rate of 12.5 per cent. And Black youth had an employment rate of 44.3 per cent and their unemployment rate was 19 per cent.
