The province has announced a funding incentive for employers to help hire and give young Albertans work experience. The program is expected to help around 3,500 employers and hire up to 8,750 youth across Alberta, the province said in a news release Wednesday. The program targets people between 15 and 24 years old. Employers can receive $4,000 to onboard one or two new hires that work a combined minimum of 400 hours – or $7,500 to hire three to five youth for a minimum 750 combined working hours. Last month, Canadian employers collectively lost 84,000 positions, driving the unemployment rate up two tenths of a point to 6.7 per cent, according to StatsCan. Young workers aged 15 to 24 faced a loss of 47,000 jobs in February as well. Alberta grew above the national average for youth unemployment last year, said Joseph Schow, Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration Minister said at a press conference Wednesday. “We’ve seen a drop by nearly three per cent over the last while and it’s been directly attributed to the fact that businesses here in Alberta are taking a shot on youth,” Schow said. The Alberta Youth Employment Incentive is providing up to $10 per house in wages for employers. The incentive was previously announced last year. “We want Albertans to have the first crack at Alberta jobs but that’s a stepping stone, they need to continue working up that employment ladder and it starts with that first job,” Schow said. Patricia Street Deli, a beloved deli in Jasper that relocated to Edmonton in December, is one of the employers taking part in the program. “After losing our space in Jasper to the fires and rebuilding here in Edmonton, that support has meant we can keep showing up for our team – investing in them, believing in them and growing alongside them,” Wendy Leitch, owner of the deli, said in the news release. Leitch says the deli primarily hires youth and has seen her employers move on bright futures, some even becoming general managers at the deli. As of last month, 859 people have been hired through the incentive. With files from The Canadian Press
