Young people who are not in education, employment or training make up the NEET population. This group includes people under 30 who may struggle to enter or remain in the labour market because of multiple barriers. The International Labour Organization reports that youth continue to face challenges related to job precarity, skills mismatches and unequal access to opportunity. According to Statistics Canada, 12% of Canadians aged 15 to 29 were not in employment, education or training in 2024, up from 11% in 2023. Here are resources on contextual data, government programs, tools and organizations that career professionals can use to support young jobseekers.
Background
Enhancing Career Prospects and Well-Being for Canadian Youth (Future Skills Centre) [Report]
This report explores how youth employment, career development and well-being are affected by changing labour market conditions, barriers to opportunity and fragmented support systems. It highlights the importance of early career guidance, personalized labour market information, employer engagement, wraparound supports and inclusive program design.
Finding Their Path: What Youth Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) Want (Labour Market Information Council) [Report]
Among the findings of this report:
- Most Canadians aged 16 to 29 who are not in employment, education or training are typically in transition as they look for work or wait for school to start.
- One in five NEET youth wants to figure out what career to pursue within the next 12 months.
- The main challenges NEET youth face in finding suitable work are a lack of experience and an absence of job opportunities in their area.
- Family-related obligations are why close to one-third of women aged 16 to 29 are NEET, compared with 5% of men.
Global Employment Trends for Youth 2024 (International Labour Organization) [Report]
Global Employment Trends for Youth 2024 examines the evolving labour market realities facing young people around the world, including persistent barriers for youth who are not in employment, education or training. While the report notes encouraging signs of post-pandemic labour market recovery, it also highlights ongoing concerns such as unequal access to opportunity, rising job precarity, skills mismatches and the disproportionate impact of NEET status on young women. Career development professionals may find the report useful for understanding emerging youth employment trends, strengthening advocacy efforts and informing more inclusive workforce development strategies.
Youth not in employment, education or training (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) [Data]
The OECD’s data indicator provides a global perspective by including populations from the Americas, Europe, Africa and Australasia. It presents the share of young people who are not in employment, education or training as a percentage of the total number of young people in the corresponding age group, by gender.
Youth not in employment, education or training (Statistics Canada) [Data]
This data is part of Statistics Canada’s quality of life indicators, which provide a high-level assessment of well-being in Canada. It shows that 12% of youth aged 15 to 29 were NEET in 2024, up from 11% in 2023. The page also links to related resources on the labour force and the impact of the pandemic on the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training.
The NEETEST youth: Not in employment, education or training, excluding short transitions (Statistics Canada) [Article]
This article introduces “NEETEST” as a narrower measure of youth who are not in employment, education or training for a full year, excluding short transitions and unpaid caregiving. Career development professionals may find it useful for understanding which youth are at greater risk of longer-term disconnection from work and school, including patterns by gender, age, education level, province and community size.
Programs
Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) – Funding programs (Government of Canada)
The YESS initiative aims to help young people develop the skills and experience they need to transition into the labour market. It provides funding for programs across various sectors and includes filters and a full list of youth-facing, employer-facing and youth-serving organization programs.
Employment programs for people under 30 (Government of Ontario)
Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development provides links to summer jobs, paid internships and skills training.
Digital Skills for Youth Program (Government of Canada)
While the call for proposals for 2026 is now closed, this program connects underemployed post-secondary graduates with small businesses and not-for-profit organizations where they can gain meaningful work experience to help them transition to career-oriented employment. It is part of the YESS program.
First Nations and Inuit Youth Employment Strategy (Government of Canada)
The strategy supports initiatives that provide First Nations and Inuit youth with information about career options and opportunities to develop skills that can help them gain employment and develop their careers. It is a component of the YESS initiative.
International Youth Internship Program (Government of Canada)
The International Youth Internship Program is another component of YESS. It offers Canadian youth, especially those facing barriers to employment, the opportunity to gain professional experience abroad in the field of international development and to acquire skills that will prepare them for future employment or further studies.
ReBrand: Career & Employment Initiative for Youth in Alberta
This MCG Careers initiative provides youth in Alberta with an opportunity to develop essential life and career skills. Participants work through program modules on career planning, education planning, stress management, job search, networking and more.
SEED Youth Employment Program (Douglas College)
SEED (Sustainable Employment & Environmental Directions) is a program funded by the BC government to help unemployed youth in the Lower Mainland find and keep a full-time job.
Youth Employment Skills Program (Federation of Black Canadians)
This program supports Black youth, newcomers, youth with disabilities and NEET youth who are facing barriers to employment. Participants receive paid skills training, employment opportunities, mentorship and individualized support to help build workforce readiness and access meaningful work.
Organizations
Canadian Council for Youth Prosperity
The Canadian Council for Youth Prosperity is a national, cross-sector collaboration that drives co-ordination and boosts the infrastructure that supports the youth workforce development ecosystem.
Support, Advanced Learning and Training Opportunities for Youth
Support, Advanced Learning and Training Opportunities for Youth is a network of seven Resource Centres working on European priority areas within the youth field. As part of the European Commission’s Training Strategy, it provides tools and non-formal learning resources for youth workers and youth leaders. It also produced a video about NEET issues.
Youth Employment Services
Youth Employment Services offers programs that support disadvantaged and vulnerable youth in becoming self-sufficient members of society. It also provides services to employers, including a wage subsidy and pre-screening of candidates, and has online resources on topics such as resumes, cover letters, references and interviewing.
Tools
Newcomer Youth Employment Toolkit (YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth)
This toolkit offers self-directed employment resources that newcomer youth can use independently or with settlement staff in schools and communities. It includes modules on resumes, job applications, interviews, workplace expectations, rights and responsibilities, goal-setting and well-being.
OY Works
OY Works is a free toolkit designed to help employers recruit, hire and retain Opportunity Youth. Career development professionals may find it useful for strengthening employer conversations, preparing youth for workplace expectations and identifying more inclusive hiring practices.
Youth Employment Toolkit (Canadian Observatory on Homelessness)
Designed for shelters, housing providers, youth-serving agencies and other organizations working with homeless and at-risk youth, this toolkit shares guidance for developing youth employment projects. It includes information on program models, staffing, partnerships, policies, evaluation and supports that can help organizations adapt employment programming to their local context.
Additional reading
- Labour market implications for racialized youth (Future Skills Centre)
- Meeting youth where they are: Redefining readiness through connection and community (CareerWise)
- Projects on youth employment (International Labour Organization)
- The Skills compass environmental scan of college sector programs, program components and resources to support NEET Indigenous and newcomer youth in training and employment (Colleges and Institutes Canada)
- Youth career barriers post-pandemic – and where to go from here (CareerWise)
