The Government of Canada has announced an expansion to the Canada Summer Jobs program, creating 6,000 new positions for youth. The investment seeks to respond to youth unemployment rates, which CBC says has increased from 10% in January 2023 to 14.2% in May 2025. To fund the creation of the new positions, Canada is reallocating $25M from Employment and Social Development Canada. Canada Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu said that the country is especially keen to help youth pursue the trades. University of Waterloo Youth & Innovation Project co-creator Ilona Dougherty commented that the high unemployment rate is reflective of the “incredibly complex economic situation” as well as factors such as AI tools and large numbers of temporary foreign workers.
