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Canada

Strategies for youth employment

Strategies for youth employment
Yes

Youth employment strategy planned in the next 2 years

Discussions within the government
No
Consultations with national-level stakeholders (e.g. employers’ and workers’ associations, youth councils, etc.)
No
A draft strategy already exists
No
Other (please specify)
Yes

Countries with national action plans for youth employment

Monitoring framework (timeline and activity/outcome indicators, e.g. youth labour market indicators)
Yes
Funding (indicative budget to implement the plan)
Yes
Institutional responsibilities (e.g. ministries/agencies in charge of specific planned activities )
Yes
Other, specify
No

Public funding for the national youth employment strategy

Public funding for the national youth employment strategy
Yes

Additional information:
Employment and Social Development Canada is the lead for the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy. It is administered in collaboration with 11 other federal departments, including: • Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; • Global Affairs Canada; • Canadian Heritage; • Environment and Climate Change Canada; • Indigenous Services Canada; • Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada; • Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada; • National Research Council; • Natural Resources Canada; • Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; • Parks Canada. Each department has its own budget for its programming under the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy.

Youth in the national development / employment strategy

Youth in the national development / employment strategy
No

Countries with national goals for youth employment

Countries with national goals for youth employment
Yes

Additional information:
Canada’s national objectives to promote youth employment focus on ensuring that young people have equitable access to the skills, experiences, and opportunities needed to successfully transition into the labor market or return to (or remain in) education. Key goals include: • Job Readiness: Supporting youth in acquiring the skills, knowledge, and supports necessary to enter the workforce. • Acquire Employment: Enabling youth to attain and retain quality employment opportunities. • Career Advancement: Helping youth develop the skills required for long-term career growth and mobility. • Employer Engagement: Supporting employers in their ability to hire and retain young workers.

Countries with quantitative targets for youth employment

Countries with quantitative targets for youth employment
No

Policy areas in national youth employment strategies

Macroeconomic and Sectoral policies
No
Enterprise Development
No
Education, Training and skills development
Yes
Labour Demand
Yes
Labour Law and Legislation
No
Labour Market Policies
No
Other (please specify)
No

Social partners' inclusion in the youth employment strategy

Workers
Implementation of youth employment strategies/programmes (e.g. social partners as official implementers of the strategy or programme)
Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
Assessment of youth employability (alignment of youth qualifications and skills to labour market needs)
Informed
Monitoring and evaluation of youth employment interventions (e.g. active labour market programmes)
Informed
Awareness raising, marketing and promotion of youth employment (e.g. campaign to promote youth employment)
Informed
Formulation of youth employment strategies (e.g. national action plan for youth)
Consulted
Development of youth employment programmes (e.g. sectoral programme with a clear target to employ X number of youth)
Consulted
Employers
Implementation of youth employment strategies/programmes (e.g. social partners as official implementers of the strategy or programme)
Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
Assessment of youth employability (alignment of youth qualifications and skills to labour market needs)
Informed
Monitoring and evaluation of youth employment interventions (e.g. active labour market programmes)
Informed
Awareness raising, marketing and promotion of youth employment (e.g. campaign to promote youth employment)
Informed
Formulation of youth employment strategies (e.g. national action plan for youth)
Consulted
Development of youth employment programmes (e.g. sectoral programme with a clear target to employ X number of youth)
Consulted

Youth-led organizatios' inclusion in the national strategy

Fully involved
No
Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
No
Consulted
No
Informed
No
Not involved
No

Countries with national partnerships for youth employment

Countries with national partnerships for youth employment
Yes

Additional information:
2025: The Youth Employment and Skills Strategy program funds strategic collaborations that brings stakeholders from different sectors together. The program also prioritizes partnerships for funding. ___ 2023: The YESS program funds strategic collaborations that brings stakeholders from different sectors together. The program also prioritizes partnerships for funding. Youth employment programs are delivered by the federal, provincial and territorial governments, and efforts are made to support complimentary among programs that impact youth employment. The Government of Canada, through the YESS, has committed to help young people, particularly those facing barriers to employment, get the information and gain the skills, work experience and abilities they need to make a successful transition into the labour market. Funding was committed for the creation of work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities for post-secondary students through the Student Work Placement (SWP) Program. It helps post-secondary students to develop work ready skills, employers to hire and develop talent, and post-secondary institutions to keep pace with changing on-the-job expectations. In 2020, the Innovative Work-Integrated Learning Initiative was launched to broaden the scope of WIL opportunities supported by the federal government to include new and emerging types. These opportunities help students connect with potential employers and peers in their chosen field, identify, develop, test, apply and articulate their skills in a work environment, and to develop transferable skills. This Initiative provides a stipend per opportunity to students participating, depending on the nature and intensity of the opportunity provided. _____________________ 2022: The Youth Employment and Skills Strategy program funds strategic collaborations that brings stakeholders from different sectors together. The program also prioritizes partnerships for funding.

Inclusiveness of vulnerable groups in national strategies

Women
Yes
Migrant Workers
No
NEETs
Yes
People with disabilities
Yes
Low skilled workers
Yes
Rural workers
Yes
Other (please specify)
Yes

Youth employment strategies and international cooperation

Youth employment strategies and international cooperation
No