| Administered by | Employment and Social Development Canada, under the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy |
|---|---|
| Funding amount | A wage subsidy covering a share of the hourly wage, with not-for-profit employers eligible for a higher share than public and private sector employers |
| Who qualifies | Not-for-profit organisations, public sector employers and private sector employers with a limited number of employees, hiring youth aged 15 to 30 |
| Deadline or intake | A single national application window each year, typically opening in the autumn or winter for the following summer |
| Region | Canada |
| Official page | www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/funding/canada |
Who qualifies
Canada Summer Jobs is open to three categories of employer: not-for-profit organisations, public sector employers, and private sector employers below the program’s employee threshold. Each applicant must be able to deliver a real job with supervision, a safe workplace and a learning component, and must attest to the program conditions published in the applicant guide for that intake year.
On the employee side, the placement must go to a young person aged 15 to 30 at the start of the job who is legally entitled to work in Canada. Applications are assessed against national and local priorities, which have historically favoured placements that serve youth facing barriers to employment and sectors experiencing labour shortages.
What it funds
The program pays a wage subsidy, not a project grant. It offsets a share of the hourly wage for each approved placement over an agreed number of weeks. Not-for-profit employers receive a materially higher share of the wage than public and private sector employers, which is the single largest difference between applicant types. Mandatory employment-related costs may be recognised for some employer categories.
Costs the program does not cover include equipment, supervision time, overhead and any hours worked outside the approved placement dates. Because funding is calculated per approved position, the application should request the number of positions the organisation can genuinely supervise.
Deadlines and intake
There is one national intake each year. It typically opens in the autumn or winter for placements the following summer, and closes on a fixed date that does not move. Decisions are communicated in the spring, agreements are signed before the season starts, and work performed before the agreement is in place is not reimbursed.
Applications are scored, and the intake is competitive. Members of Parliament set local priorities in each riding, so an application that speaks to the local labour market reads more strongly than a generic one.
How CFP helps
Canadian Funding Partners treats Canada Summer Jobs as one element of a hiring and training funding plan rather than a standalone form. We confirm which employer category applies, size the request against realistic supervision capacity, draft the job descriptions and learning outcomes the assessment grid rewards, and hold the intake date in a funding calendar alongside other programs. Where employment law or payroll treatment questions arise, we coordinate the appropriate partner professional firms; CFP does not provide legal, payroll or accounting services itself.
For employers building a broader workforce plan, this program pairs naturally with Student Work Placement subsidies, training grants and the Canada-Ontario Job Grant. A wider view of federal and provincial options is set out in our small business grants hub.
Talk to Canadian Funding Partners
Book a confidential conversation. We review your project, map it against the programs that fit, and coordinate the partner accounting, engineering and legal firms needed to complete a defensible file.
Frequently asked questions
Which employers can apply to Canada Summer Jobs?
Not-for-profit organisations, public sector bodies and private sector employers may apply. Private and public sector applicants are subject to an employee-count limit, and all applicants must attest that the job and the organisation respect the program conditions set out in the applicant guide for that year.
How old must the employee be?
The program supports youth aged 15 to 30 at the start of employment. The young person must be legally entitled to work in Canada and must remain eligible for the duration of the placement.
How much of the wage is covered?
The subsidy is a share of the hourly wage rather than a fixed dollar grant. Not-for-profit employers qualify for a higher share than public and private sector employers, and the exact percentages are set in the applicant guide published for each intake year.
When is the application deadline?
There is one national intake per year, normally opening several months before the summer season. The closing date is firm; late applications are not assessed, and the project cannot start before the agreement is in place.
Can the placement be part-time or outside the summer?
The core program funds full-time summer placements over a defined number of weeks. Flexibility around hours and dates has varied by intake year, so the applicant guide for the current cycle governs.
Does receiving Canada Summer Jobs affect other funding?
A wage covered by this subsidy cannot also be claimed under another government wage program, and the subsidised portion of salary is excluded from expenditures claimed under tax credit programs such as SR&ED.
Official sources
- Employment and Social Development Canada — Canada Summer Jobs — program description, youth age range and employer application process
- Government of Canada — Youth Employment and Skills Strategy — the federal strategy under which Canada Summer Jobs is delivered
Verified against official sources on .
Canadian Funding Partners Inc. is an independent advisory firm and does not administer this program. Rates, ceilings and eligibility are set by the administering authority and change. Confirm current terms with the official source before relying on them.