Helping Young People Find Meaningful Work

Ontario is facing a youth employment crisis, one that can no longer be ignored.

Today, the Ontario Liberal Party is putting forward a motion in the Legislature to tackle a growing problem that has left 223,400 young people out of work.

Ontario’s youth unemployment rate now sits at 17.8%, the highest in Canada, and is approaching the same levels seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, figures not witnessed in more than 30 years. The average job search for a young person now lasts three and a half months, the longest wait in nearly three decades.

Small businesses, non-profits, and charities are also under pressure. Many are struggling with rising costs, labour shortages and the effects of new U.S. trade tariffs. Despite this, the Premier has dismissed the problem, telling more than 220,000 unemployed young Ontarians to “look harder” for work, an insult to those trying to build a future in an increasingly unstable economy. The reality is that youth need opportunities, and employers need support to provide them.

That’s why Ontario Liberals are calling for the creation of a provincial youth wage subsidy program to help fund full- and part-time jobs across Ontario. The program would mirror the success of the Canada Summer Jobs initiative, which has created hundreds of thousands of opportunities for students and young workers. Our motion will be debated when the Legislature returns after next week’s recess.

Combined with our proposed small business tax cut, this plan would give local employers the means to hire more young people, strengthen community organizations, and give the next generation of workers the experience, networks and confidence they need to succeed right here in Ontario.