the youth employment strategy communicating the strategy
TRANSCRIPT
The Youth Employment Strategy
Communicating the Strategy
Youth Employment Strategy
YES is a key element of Canada’s Innovation and Learning Strategy that will ensure that Canada has a highly qualified and skilled labour force prepared to meet the current and changing labour market needs.
Objectives
YES is the government of Canada’s commitment:
1. To help young people aged 15 to 30 particularly those facing barriers to employment, i.e. single parents, Aboriginal youths, young persons with disabilities, recent immigrants, youth living in rural and remote areas and high school dropouts, get information and gain the necessary skills and work experience to make successful transition to the workplace
2. To ensure Canada has a highly qualified and skilled labour force prepared to meet current and future about market needs
Delivered with Fourteen GOC Departments•HRDC (lead department)•Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada•Canada Mortgage and Housing•Canadian Food Inspection Agency•Canadian Heritage•Canadian International Development Agency•Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
•Environment Canada•Fisheries and Oceans Canada•Indian and Northern Affairs•Industry Canada•National Research Council•Natural Resources Canada•Parks Canada
Youth Population Developments
Population of Canadian Youth (15-24)
3500.0
3700.0
3900.0
4100.0
4300.0
4500.0
4700.0
4900.0
Po
pu
lati
on
(th
ou
sa
nd
s)
• Canada has had a rebound in its youth population after a significant decline in the 1980s. • During the 1990-2002 period, the number of youth aged 15-24 grew by 5.3% after a decline of 17.3% in the 1980s.• In the boom, bust and echo cycle these children are the echo. The increase is not related to increased immigration but increased fertility rates.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey
Labour Market Participation
Labour Force Participation Rate of Youth, 15-24 (1990-1996)
62.0
63.0
64.0
65.0
66.0
67.0
68.0
69.0
70.0
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996
Pe
r c
en
t
• Between 1990 and 1996, the youth labour force participation rate declined significantly. • A significant proportion of the decline could be attributed to the fall in the labour force participation of students. Students became less attached to the labour market in the 1990s because the prospects of finding work while in-school were poor. • The other major factor was the continued growth in school enrolments. Youth tended to postpone their entry into the labour market and stay in school longer.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey
• Since 1997, increasingly available jobs have brought youth into the labour market. • The youth participation rate rose, as youth traded off between the future returns to
getting an education to participate in today’s knowledge-based economy and the immediate returns to entering the labour force at a lower skill level.
Labour Force Participation of Youth 15-24, (1997-2002)
61.0
62.0
63.0
64.0
65.0
66.0
67.0
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Pe
r c
en
t
Labour Market Participation
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey
Employment • Similar to participation rate trends, youth employment rates fell during the early- to
mid- 1990’s and have since increased. The increase in youth employment can be attributed to an improved Canadian economy.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey
Employment Rates of Youth 15-24, (1990-2002)
50.0
52.0
54.0
56.0
58.0
60.0
62.0
Pe
r c
en
t
Background
G8 Youth Unemployment Rates, 2002
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Canada France Germany Italy Japan UK US
Pe
r c
en
t
Source: OECD Labour Force Statistics
• In ranking G8 youth unemployment rates Canada is ranked 5th lowest
New Direction for YESThree streamlined programs effective April 1, 2003:
1. Skills Link• Provides funding for community organizations to help youth facing
barriers to employment develop the skills, knowledge and work experience to participate in the labour market.
2. Career Focus• Employers are funded to help post-secondary graduates get career
related work experience and develop advanced skills.
3. Summer Work Experience• Provide wage subsidies that create summer employment for in-school
youth returning to school. Support summer employment offices
Youth Initiatives Directorate
Youth Employment Initiatives continued
Information and Awareness:
• Information initiative allows for the development and dissemination of information services and tools for young Canadians including those facing barriers to better prepare them for the transition to the labour market, including:
• Youth Employment Information Web Site – http://www.youth.gc.ca• Youth Info-Line• Youth Link and Employer Link publications• HRDC Youth Info Fairs
Features of Streamlined YES Programs• Client assessment / Case management
• Return to work employment action plan developed to meet client needs
• Individual skills enhancement
• Increased community planning/ more effective partnering
• Outreach
Features Of Strategy
• Client-centered approach
• Flexibility to meet individual needs
• Responsive to labour market
• Improved Accountability
• Review 2008
Sample Projects
Official Language Minority Communities• A log home manufacturing company north of Montreal was contacted by the
Community Economic Development and Employability Committee (CEDEC) serving the local English community in northern Quebec. The company submitted an application to the local HRCC for a youth work experience wage subsidy under Skills Link. Because the language regularly used in the workplace is English, the proposal specified an English speaking youth participant.
• The 17 year-old participant completed a one-week workplace orientation and safety training before starting the six-month full-time work experience.
• As a result, the participant was offered a full-time position based on her performance during the subsidized work placement and both the employer and the local minority language community retained an English speaking youth in a rural area of Québec.