2024-07-06 04:00:00
The Carrefour Youth Employment Agency (CJE) has expressed regret over having to exclude thousands of unemployed or underemployed young people from government-funded employment assistance services. The ministry’s new criteria are being questioned at a time when youth unemployment is surging in Quebec.
At the bright and colorful premises of the CJE Thérèse-de-Blainville in Saint-Thérèse, stakeholders have noticed an increase in the number of young people aged 15 to 35 looking for work. “Many come here with diplomas, but they can’t find Work in their field. We study their resumes, we study everything, but it’s not enough,” explains employment counselor Cristelle Elasmar.
The job market is not working in their favor. Statistics Canada released data Friday showing the province’s unemployment rate for 16 to 25-year-olds at 10.3 per cent, and the number of job openings is falling. We have to go back to 2017 to find a June rate this high, with the exception of the 2020 pandemic.
The help received in the CJE is extremely valuable in mock interviews, writing cover letters, identifying job opportunities, identifying personal strengths and weaknesses, etc. Some young people who are far from the job market have access to a range of services, such as courses to improve French proficiency, support in the process of returning to school or workshops designed to improve self-confidence or develop transferable skills for work.
riceI Elasmar herself used the mentoring services of CJE Thérèse-de-Blainville a few years ago. “I was really listened to and supported,” she said. “It inspired me and helped me understand what I wanted to do.”
However, for a year, one of its main funders, Employment Québec (Emploi-Québec), has refused to provide funding to 111 CJEs to support some of these young people. Rudy Humbert, general manager of the Quebec CJE network, reports that the memorandum of understanding between the ministry and the CJEs stipulates that the latter must meet certain criteria within a year. Priority is given to young people who receive social assistance or belong to certain underrepresented groups. The director of the CJE points out that young people who have jobs, even if they are precarious or part-time, are now often excluded by Service Québec agents.
“Prioritization never means exclusion,” Mr. Humbert lamented. Every young person came forward because they needed help. » Last year, regarding 10,000 young people had their files rejected by Employment Quebec, according to a survey of its members.
“We have a young man who works two days a week in a kebab shop and he has the ability to study computer science. [du gouvernement] He replied that there was nothing wrong with eating chicken. But it was not what he wanted to do,” said Nathalie Lachance, general manager of CJE Thérèse-de-Blainville.
According to Director-General François Girouard, of the 500 young people from CJE L’Assomption who requested employment assistance services funded by the ministry, 185 were unable to access them. “Our mission is to support all young people. We have no right to say [à l’un d’eux] There is nothing that can be done for him. No one else can help him,” Mr Girouard said.
For next year, the CJE expects exclusions to accelerate as the criteria in the agreement starting on January 1 are further tightened.yes July. From now on, unemployed young people who receive employment insurance will no longer be given priority.
Feet and hands
However, Mr. Humbert assures that in the CJE no young person has been completely abandoned. Despite the refusal of the ministry, the workers decided to help them at all costs. But this was at the risk of their own survival. Since a large part of the funds negotiated each year depends on the number of assistance provided to young people counted by Employment Quebec, the income has not kept pace with the actual growth of clients.
“In the agreement for next year that I just signed, I have funding for 234 young people,” Mr. Girouard lamented. That’s regarding half the number of clients it actually serves. As a result, its staff is overloaded and young people have to be put on waiting lists. Non-priority young people are also deprived of the $14 participation bonus per trip that is usually given by Employment Quebec.
Mr Humbert denounced the general reduction in funding for CJEs, which has forced many to reduce their activities. He believes that many CJEs are reaching a “critical point”. Many of them have submitted deficit budgets this year, including CJE Thérèse-de-Blainville. The Director-General also regretted that funding for Emploi-Québec is limited to 75 hours per young person, since many beneficiaries actually need hundreds of hours of service to return to work.
For a year, Natalie Lachance has been angry regarding the government’s lack of listening and understanding. She is concerned that young people are experiencing increasing mental health issues, particularly those related to anxiety and financial stress, while she has fewer resources to support them.
The office of the Minister of Employment Kateri Champagne Jourdain did not respond to requests for comment. responsibilityinstead transferring them to officials in his department. A spokesperson for the department explained in an email that the $145 million reduction in federal transfers for public employment services made it necessary to “make difficult choices and prioritize our interventions.” It noted that people who did not receive services from the CJE “can be referred to other organizations or to Service Quebec offices for alternative measures,” but did not specify what type of measures might be taken for them.
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