More than 110,000 young Canadians will get work experience from the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy. This announcement was made on February 12 by Hon. Pierre S. Pettigrew, Minister of Human Resources Development. .
Young people say "no experience, no job. and no job, no experience" is the biggest barrier they face in getting career-related jobs. They also want one-stop shopping for information on jobs, careers, educational choices and government programs and services. .
The Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy goes a long way to answering these needs. It builds on some 250 federal initiatives already in place for young people and the commitments the government made to Canada's youth in the 1996 Speech from the Throne. .
The Youth Employment Strategy is an action plan that builds on the existing investment in young people of over $2-billion. It includes $315-million set aside in the 1996 budget for the creation of new youth employment opportunities over three years. Employment for young adults is looking bright in the future based on these statistics and programs.
Education: .
• Youth unemployment has been persistently high in the 1990s. In October 1997, there were 397,500 youth unemployed in Canada. .
• With adult unemployment rates edging down, and those for youth on the rise, the ratio of youth to adult unemployment rates has trended upwards over the last two years. .
• Youth employment rates are falling. Between 1989 and 1993, when the youth population was stabilizing, youth employment fell by 456,000. .
• For youth with jobs, the incidence of part-time employment more than doubled between 1976 and 1996, from 21 per cent to 46 per cent. .
• Labor force participation rates of young people also declined in the 1990s, falling below the adult rate. One consequence is a growing pool of youth with no work experience. .
• Young people are leaving school with more education today.
