Young people are facing a crisis of high unemployment. Here’s how the budget addresses that

As Canada’s young people continue to struggle with a challenging labour market, the federal government has outlined its plans to address a crisis that has produced some of the highest youth unemployment rates in more than a decade.

The plan focuses on work placement and summer job creation for students, and more investments in skills training programs that the federal government says it expects will make it easier for young people to find work, including in the trades and climate-related sectors.

“To the youth, this budget was made for you,” said Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne during a speech on Tuesday before he tabled the budget in the House of Commons.

Young people tend to be the first and hardest hit when economic conditions are weak. In the years since the pandemic, i