The earliest start date for eligible jobs is Monday, April 23, 2018, while the latest start date is Sunday, July 22, 2018. The latest end date is for work experiences is Saturday, September 1, 2018.

Overview of Canada Summer Jobs

Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) is a federal incentive that provides wage subsidies to employers to create jobs for secondary and post-secondary students.

The objective of CSJ is three-pronged:

• Provide meaningful work experiences for students
• Reward and support small businesses, including those that provide much-needed community services
• Acknowledge and support local community needs

Funding is available to all not-for-profit organizations, public sector employers, and small businesses with up to 50 employees. In turn, employers must provide between 30 to 40 hours of work per week to students.

Available Funding

Generally speaking, CSJ will cover all or a portion of minimum wage in your respective province or territory.

One on hand, not-for-profit employers are eligible to receive funding for up to 100% of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage.

On the other, public and private sector employers are eligible to receive funding only up to 50% of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage.

Of course, you can elect to pay more than minimum wage; however, the percentage reimbursed will apply only to the applicable provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage. For example, if a private sector employer in Quebec pays a student $12.00 per hour, the CSJ contribution will only cover $5.63 (50% of $11.25 or minimum wage). As a result, the employer effectively pays $6.37 per hour out of pocket.

Eligible Student Participants

Given that the goal of the program is to help youth build skills and work experience prior to entering the labor market, there are certain criteria the student must adhere to:

• Be between 15 and 30 years of age at the start of employment
• Be registered as a full-time student in the previous academic year and intend to return to school on a full-time basis in the next academic year
• Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or have refugee protection status under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
• Be legally entitled to work in Canada

Important to note that foreign exchange students are not admissible to the program.

Eligible Work Experience

Of course, the work experience in question must be of value to the student’s future career. The Canadian Government specifically requires that the work experience cannot entail personal services to the employer, such as gardening, housekeeping, child care, and other such services.

Tips to Prepare a Winning Application

The application process is extremely thorough, so be sure to prepare accordingly. This is one of Canada’s most competitive programs, so you need to demonstrate your company’s worth by being well-prepared and organized.

Here are a few tips to streamline the application process:

• Read the entire Applicant Guide and the application form prior to completing an application
• Provide sufficient information in the Job Details section
• Identify the location where the work experience will take place
• Ensure the organization’s legal name matches the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business number
• Provide a recruitment plan to recruit priority students, if applicable
• Keep all contact information up-to-date
• Submit your application on or before February 2, 2018 at 11:59PM PST

Conclusion

CSJ is a popular go-to for Canadian employers due to its generosity and broad applicability. Whether you need to hire seasonal staff, or you have a summer-long project that requires additional labor, CSJ funding can help you drastically reduce your labor costs.