The Quebec government will have $18 million in 2025-2026 to fund projects aimed at facilitating the employment integration of young people, who are facing a particularly difficult job market.

This was announced Wednesday by Employment Minister Kateri Champagne Jourdain. These funds come from a five-year agreement with the federal government.

The “Youth in Motion to Employment” program will have two components: preparing young people for their entry into the job market, and then offering them work experience combined with socio-professional support.

Young people who participate in the program will receive an employment assistance allowance during the first phase and remuneration from their employer during the second.

This announcement comes as the latest Statistics Canada data confirms that young people are facing difficult conditions in the job market.

In July, the employment rate for youth aged 15 to 24 fell by 0.7 percentage points across the country to 53.6 per cent, its lowest level since November 1998 (excluding the pandemic period).

“Through Youth in Motion Toward Employment, we are giving young people from all regions of Quebec the means to train, achieve their goals, and take their place, at their own pace, in the world of work,” stated Minister Champagne Jourdain in a press release.

Under a previous agreement between Quebec and Ottawa, some 17,000 young people received support, including 7,000 during a pilot project conducted from 2020-2021 to 2024-2025. Nearly 66 per cent of them found employment, according to data provided by Quebec.

Rudy Humbert, President and CEO of the Réseau des carrefours jeunesse-emploi du Québec, believes that the “profound transformations in the job market” make it even more essential to support young people.

“Whether it’s artificial intelligence, the socio-ecological transition, or trade tensions, we must collectively go even further,” he argued in writing.

This measure is part of the Canada-Quebec Contribution Agreement in Support of Quebec Youth. It is intended for young people aged 16 to 30.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews