The national unemployment rate among young Canadians is 13 percent, almost double the general unemployment rate. Youth unemployment sits at 15.3 percent in Ontario, the country’s most populated province, and at 22 percent in Toronto.

Concerned by this troubling statistic, Ottawa recently announced an investment of more than $16 million to create 1,200 jobs for young Canadians. The initiative is meant to help Canada become a global centre for innovation while increasing the number of skilled young Canadians in the workforce.

The positive impact of employment services affects everyone

“Unemployed individuals have a weaker sense of self and purpose, [fewer] opportunities for personal growth, a reduced life expectancy, and suffer more health problems as compared to people who have jobs,” says Tim Lang, CEO of Youth Employment Services (YES), a non-profit organization that assists people between the ages of 15 and 29  gain employment through various programs and services.

However, when youth access resources that enable them to thrive socially and economically, their families and communities also benefit. Employment builds their confidence and prepares them to be the  leaders and decision-makers of the future.

How Youth Employment Services can help

For Toronto’s young adults who are struggling to find employment,  it’s important for them to know that services such as YES  exist to help them find the jobs that they need.

YES offers Youth Job Connection (YJC), which provides paid pre-employment training that teaches necessary skills and secures participants a rewarding job position with one of more than 3,000 businesses that partner with YES.

Among YES’s many other programs are the Lighthouse Project, which helps individuals living with mental health issues get full-time work, and BizStart, which helps  individuals  who see entrepreneurship as their path to employment get their business started.

Since 1968, YES has been supporting hundreds of thousands of young people in preparing, finding, and keeping suitable jobs and has become one of the biggest and most experienced youth employment service providers  in Canada.

Find out more about how YES can help find the right employment path for you. Visit yes.on.ca or call 416.504.5516.