Ford's cuts to youth programs and start-up companies will make youth unemployment even worse

April Labour Force Survey puts Ontario’s youth unemployment rate above the rest of Canada

QUEEN’S PARK — NDP Official Opposition critic for Jobs, Employment Research and Innovation said that it continues to be more difficult for young people to find a job in Ontario compared to elsewhere in Canada.

“For years, young adults trying to get a foothold in the job market have found that the jobs just aren’t there for them,” said Fife. “Right now, many applying for summer jobs and looking to gain a vital work experience are losing hope. Doug Ford is making this job search even more difficult for young people by cancelling programs that help businesses train and hire them.

“Ontarians deserve a government that helps young people launch their careers, not more cuts that rip jobs and opportunities away from those just getting started.”

Statistic Canada puts Ontario’s youth unemployment rate at 12 per cent, well above Canada’s youth unemployment rate. Friday’s Labour Force survey comes as the Conservatives cancelled the Youth Job Link and the Employing Youth Talent Incentive. Together these programs provide career planning for young people and subsidies for small businesses to hire youth. Ford is also cutting provincial funding from innovation and start-up companies throughout the province by as much as 50 per cent.

Fife said that, clearly, Ford and his Conservatives have been making stuff up again with their high-flying rhetoric against increasing the minimum wage or putting a price on carbon. While those factors haven’t impacted job creation at all, Ford’s attack on youth job programs has had a powerful impact already, with more to come as the cuts take effect.

“Doug Ford’s cuts will cost us big in the long run and threaten our economic potential,” said Fife. “We need businesses to hire young people and deliver the hands on training they need to flourish in their careers. We need to continue to invest in innovation and start-up companies that have a proven return on investment for Ontario families.

“Doug Ford’s cuts today threaten Ontario’s economy tomorrow.”