The Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program is one of the largest wage subsidy programs available to businesses and non-profits across Canada. This program helps cover a portion of co-op, recent graduate, and youth hiring costs, providing up to 50% of minimum wage for private/public sector employers and up to 100% of minimum wage for non-profit applicants.
The Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program is now open for applications until January 10, 2024.
Through CJG funding, students should be able to further develop their skills and knowledge through funded placements, preparing them for employment.
Funding Snapshot: Canada Summer Jobs
If your business will hire a co-op, recent graduate, or youth for a summer position, this is an excellent opportunity to recover a portion of their employment costs.
Amount of Funding
The amount of funding eligible businesses can receive for each new hire through the Canada Summer Jobs program is limited by the type of organization applying for funding. A maximum of 40 work hours per week can qualify for funding. Additional funding is provided to non-profit organizations to reduce their costs. The amount of funding provided will be determined based on your application and organizational structure:
- Covers up to 50% of minimum wage for youth hired by private/public sector employers; OR
- Covers up to 100% of minimum wage for youth hired by non-profit applicants, plus Mandatory Employment Related Costs (MERCS).
Who is Eligible to Apply?
To ensure the CSJ program is offering financial support to businesses that will foster a healthy learning environment for youth hires, the following eligibility restrictions must be met for your business to receive funding:
- Employer must have < 50 employees;
- Candidate must be 15–30 years of age and a permanent Canadian resident, citizen, or refugee; and
- Positions must be full-time (30–40 hours/week) for at least 6 weeks in duration, with the average funding in previous years lasting 8 weeks at ~35 hours/week.
Eligible Hires and Positions
The CSJ program requires that new hires are between the ages of 15–30 and work a minimum of 30–40 hours a week. This program does not require candidates to be selected when applying for funding. Only an eligible position is required for the application. Eligible activities for this stream of funding include employers who are:
- Providing relevant work experience and mentorship for youth ages 15–30;
- Providing wages above minimum wage;
- Hiring a priority student; or
- Addressing local priorities.
National Priorities this year include:
- Opportunities for youth with disabilities/organizations that provide services to persons with disabilities;
- Opportunities for youth underrepresented in labor market (Black and racialized youth, Indigenous youth, LGBTQ2+ youth);
- Opportunities in rural, remote, or official language minority communities;
- Skilled trades opportunities; and
- Opportunities related to sustainability.
You do not need a candidate to apply; you have until your position’s proposed start date to find an eligible candidate.
Timelines for Canada Summer Jobs
Given the popularity of this program, and the short application window, Canadian business will want to keep the previous 2022 application deadlines in mind, to know what to expect with the current intake.
The Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program is now open for applications until January 10, 2024.
Here are additional timelines for consideration:
- Internship can commence as soon as April 22, 2024.
- Latest possible internship start date is July 22, 2024.
- Internships must be completed by August 31, 2024.
- Must wait for approval before hiring your candidate – with approval updates provided by the program starting in April 2024.
Apply for the Canada Summer Jobs Wage Subsidy
This program operates on a tight deadline and receives a large number of applications during its intake period. We strongly recommend you subscribe to our weekly funding newsletter to be notified when this program opens. If you believe your business has an eligible position, we strongly encourage you to speak with a member of the Mentor Works team of Canadian government grant writing professionals for the best chance at getting approved for funding and eliminate an estimated 95% of time required to apply for funding compared to businesses that apply in-house. Speak with a member of our team today by calling our toll-free hotline at 1-888-599-3111.
Businesses that are successful in their Canada Summer Jobs application will then need to find and select a candidate themselves. For the best practices on scouting and recruiting the best employee available to you, get access to our free Recruiting Top Talent slide deck.