New Wage Subsidy Programs

Boost Your Business Technology: This grant offers Canadian-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) support to adopt new technologies in order to increase competitiveness and resilience. It can help get your business online, give your e-commerce presence a boost, or digitalize your business's operations. These grants are designed to help Canadian businesses become more competitive. The program also offers wage subsidies to hire youth to support the implementation of new technology and strategies.

Bio-Talent’s: Career Starter program is now accepting applications. Career Starter provides bio-economy employers with 50% of a youth’s salary to a maximum of $15,000 in wage subsidies for a three to six-month job placement. This will help the employer adopt a diverse and inclusive work culture while satisfying their need for skilled labour.

Canadian Heritage: Local festivals – building communities through Arts and Heritage provides funding to local groups for recurring festivals that present the work of local artists, artisans or heritage performers. This includes the celebration of LGBTQ2+ communities and Indigenous cultural celebrations. Successful applicants may receive up to 100 per cent of eligible expenses up to a maximum of $200,000 for festivals.

National Research Council Canada’s: Internship Program with Innovative Small and Medium Enterprises – Youth Employment Program. The program provides Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) with a financial contribution geared towards supporting a portion of the salary costs of a post-secondary graduate, who will work on technical and technology related opportunities within the SME.

Provincial and Federal Government Funding

Mitacs is a nonprofit national research organization that, in partnerships with Canadian academia, private industry and government, operates research and training programs in fields related to industrial and social innovation. Funding starts at $15,000, and your partner organization’s financial contribution starts at $7,500.

The Student Work Placement Program (SWPP), supports partnerships between employers and post-secondary education institutions, creating more work-integrated learning placements for students enrolled in post-secondary studies across Canada. Hire a student and receive up to $7,000 per placement.

Excellence in Manufacturing consortium - a preferred partner with the Government of Canada, delivers the Student Work Placement Program subsidy to Canada's manufacturing and related sectors.

Government of Canada’s Student Work Placement Program, Propel offers post-secondary students opportunities to develop the work-ready skills required to secure meaningful employment upon graduation.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Agriculture and Environment

The Science Horizons Program provides training and funding for young professionals with post-secondary education transition or gain experience in the environmental sector, focusing mainly on STEM. Eligible employers can receive up to 80% wage coverage up to $25,000 of a candidate’s salary for placement in a new full-time 6 to 12 month position.

Youth in Natural Resources Eco Canada program in partnership with the Government of Canada, is pleased to offer wage funding for employers. Receive up to 80% to a maximum of $25,000 for wages and training to hire junior professionals in roles related to Forestry, Mining, Earth Sciences and Energy. Here's a list of the ECO wage subsidy programs.

CAHRC’s AgriTalent program supports the development of connections between post-secondary students, employers in agriculture and post-secondary institutions and contributes towards preparing a job-ready workforce for the Canadian agriculture industry.

Gearing Up – Developing mining talent through work-integrated learning Gearing Up drives systemic change by aligning post-secondary student skills training with mining industry requirements through employer delivery of work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities. The program is creating over 2,000 new WIL opportunities, with wage subsidies up to $7,000 available to employers who offer work experience, co-op placements, internships, field placements or applied projects.

BioTalent Canada is happy to announce that 2023-2024 SWPP funding is now available and accepting applications. Employers can submit their applications through BioTalent Canada’s online application system. SWPP has successfully placed more than 11,000 students with work placements at leading biotechnology companies and organizations across Canada.

Bio-Talent’s: Skilled Newcomer Internship for the Bio-economy program helps IEPS and recent immigrants find work in Canada’s bio-economy. The program covers 75% of a participant’s salary up to a maximum of $20,000 for bio-economy employers to hire, accommodate and train IEPs for a three-to-nine-month work placement.  

Eco Canada funding for new hires is available through their Employment Programs supported by the Government of Canada. Depending on the program, eligible employers can receive up to 100% of salaries for hiring young workers, students, or recent graduates specializing in STEM, natural resources, and digital innovation, focusing on the environment or sustainability. 

ECO Canada's Co-op program partners with post-secondary institutions and aims to help students find work placements within their field of study. Eligible employers can receive 50% wage coverage up to $5,000 of a student’s salary for placement in a new full or part-time 6 to 16-week position with a minimum of 180 hours.

ECO Canada’s Sector Workforce Solutions Program: funding still available. This program is designed to support environmental professionals looking to enter or advance their careers in the environmental clean economy. Eligible employers can receive up to $18,750 of a candidate's salary for placement in a new or vacant full or part-time 6 to 12-month position.

ECO Canada Nature-Based Solutions program provides training and funding for workers leaving the natural resource sector and helps them transition into nature-based solutions employment such as coastal restoration and well reclamation roles. Eligible employers can receive $4,500 wage subsidy for a 3-month placement full-time or part-time placement.

Food Processing Skills Canada – Student Work Placement Program +  is a program for employers in the Canadian food and beverage manufacturing industry to hire students in colleges and universities across the country. Posting a job, hiring a college or university student, and accessing up to $7,000 in wage subsidy is easy.

Project Learning Tree offers a 50%-80% wage match, with up to $32,000 CAD in reimbursements, for Green Job employers seeking to hire youth ages 15-30. Examples of Green Jobs and a list of eligibility requirements found here.

Venture for Canada (VFC) offers an Internship Program, ideal for small sized businesses, that exposes driven university and college students to entrepreneurial & work-readiness training so they can contribute from day one. The program provides a 50-70% wage subsidy (capped at $7,000), per student per term.

ICTC's Work Integrated Learning (WIL)  - WIL Digital is an innovative work placement program that benefits both employers and students. WIL Digital helps employers grow their businesses by providing a wage subsidy to hire post-secondary students while students gain meaningful work experience and on-the-job learning. WIL Digital provides employers with a wage subsidy of up to 50% of a student’s salary up to $5,000, or 70% up to $7,000 for underrepresented students. They are now accepting applications for Summer 2023.

Summer

Technation's Career Ready Program - Supports businesses by financing their decision to hire a student for a work-term placement. The program provides 50% (to a maximum of $5000.00) of a student’s pay in wage subsidies to employers with an increased subsidy of 70% (to a maximum of $7000.00) to employers hiring students from under-represented groups. Preference will be given to tech immersive roles that are within high-growth sectors: Digital technology (IT, digital marketing, software engineering, etc.), AI / IoT / Machine Learning / Advanced Manufacturing, Cybersecurity, Agri-Tech, Clean Tech and Health Tech.

Trucking HR Canada – Student Work Placement Subsidy - This program works to increase the job readiness of students registered in post-secondary programs. Employers can take advantage of a wage subsidy up to a maximum of 50%, up to $5,000 for every student work placement provided.

Funding for Indigenous Students and Programming

Community Opportunity Readiness addresses the financial needs of Aboriginal communities when they are in pursuit of, and wish to participate in, an economic opportunity. The programming is inclusive of wage subsidies.

Funding for Students facing barriers to employment

Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work provides Job Accommodation services and wage subsidies for employers across Canada to create healthy and inclusive workplaces.