The Role of Summer Jobs in Canada’s Labour Market
Less than a month from now, university and college students will be finishing their exams and heading off to summer jobs. It’s a rite of passage for young people, and an important aspect of Canada’s labour market. According to Statistics Canada, in July 2023, students aged 15-24 made up 7.4% of the Canadian workforce, and a whopping 23% of part-time workers across the country. Nearly half of all seasonal employees in 2023 were aged 15-24. For many employers – seasonal employers in particular, such as those in agriculture and in culture and recreation – students and other young people provide valuable labour during the summer months.
Youth summer employment is driven in part by the Canada Summer Jobs program, a program of the federal government which funds summer jobs for Canadian youth. In 2023, the Canada Summer Jobs program funded 74,285 summer jobs across the country, providing quality employment experiences for youth while providing wage assistance to non-profit organizations, the public sector, and small businesses.
Getting Your Employees to Work
While students are an important part of the workforce, young people often lack access to a personal vehicle, making it difficult to get to work. As an employer, this affects who applies to your positions, and who returns year over year. Particularly in suburban and rural areas, it is important to make sure that you aren’t missing out on great employees just because they can’t get to your job site.
The Canada Summer Jobs program and similar wage subsidy programs provide an opportunity to build transportation support into funded programs. Integrating transportation supports into wage subsidies helps young people access employment – particularly at the beginning of a contract, when they may be short on funds.
For the present, though, employers need real solutions to attract and retain the best talent. If you want to encourage students to apply, and to return every summer, consider implementing some of the commuter benefits below.
Secure Bicycle Parking
When you’re young, a bicycle can be a great way to get around – but it’s heartbreaking when your bike gets stolen. Having a good bike lock is part of the solution, but this only works if there is a safe place to lock up your bike, and something secure to lock it to.
Providing employees with secure bicycle parking is a great way to support them in getting to work. Whether it’s a bike rack next to your front door (check out our blog post for the best types to buy) or a storage room inside the building, providing your employees with a secure place to park their bikes makes it easier for employees to stay healthy, get to work on time, and focus on their jobs without worrying about whether their bike will still be there at the end of the day. Bonus points if you also provide showers and lockers so that your staff can freshen up when they get to work!
(Pro tip: For those employers who are located within Toronto, you can take advantage of receiving a 25% discount on an annual Bike Share membership for your employees – that means it’ll cost between $78 and $90 – by joining the Smart Commute program.)
Be Flexible for Transit
If many of your employees struggle to make it to work on time, it can be worthwhile to take a look at the schedule of your local transit route. If your shifts start at 8:00am and the local bus stops in front of your business at 8:03, it’s worth considering whether you can allow your employees to shift their schedules by 15 minutes. While this won’t be possible in all situations, for positions that can allow that flexibility, it makes a huge difference. This is particularly the case in suburban and rural areas where the bus may only come every 30 or 60 minutes.
Carpool Matching
Carpooling reduces costs for employees who own a car and helps employees without a car get to work. While employees share costs and travel time, you get the benefits of increased team cohesion and reduced parking demand. Consider integrating a carpool mix and mingle event into your employee orientation – pointA offers these events remotely across the country. Each mix and mingle includes a presentation on carpooling, including tips on how to carpool safely, followed by facilitated breakout rooms that group staff according to geography.
Best Workplaces for Commuters
Many of the commuter benefits listed above (flexible work hours, carpool matching, indoor bike parking) can help your business qualify for the Best Workplaces for Commuters (BWC) designation, which recognizes employers who offer outstanding commuter benefits to their employees. There are over 700 organizations certified as Best Workplaces for Commuters across North America, including employers such as NASA, Google, Harvard University, and the City of Toronto. BWC members receive public recognition for being commuter-friendly and socially responsible, access to tools and resources, professional development opportunities, and the ability to use the BWC logo on their website, social media, and recruitment materials.
As Canada’s first BWC partner, pointA can assess your current commuting situation and provide customized solutions that work for your employees and qualify your business as a Best Workplace for Commuters. Visit our BWC page to get started!
Photo Credits
Photo by Stefan Vladimirov on Unsplash
Photo by Yeh Xintong on Unsplash
