Who are OY?
They are navigating barriers – yet they’re full of potential.
Unlock potential. Strengthen your team.
Businesses today are facing real challenges.
Across Alberta and beyond, employers are stepping up to tackle real challenges: unfilled jobs, workforce shortages, natural attrition, and a desire to create inclusive workplaces – all while staying competitive and future-ready.
The answer might be closer than you think.
Opportunity Youth (OY) are eager to contribute, brimming with untapped talent, and often overlooked – not because they lack ability, but because systems weren’t designed with them in mind.
Who are Opportunity Youth (OY)?
Young people ages 18–29
Not currently in school, training, or work
Navigating barriers like
- Limited work experience
- Unstable housing
- Racial or cultural discrimination
- Involvement in the justice or child welfare system
- Disability
- Newcomer status
- Socio-economic challenges
They’re ready and keen for a chance to grow, contribute, and succeed.
Did you know?12% of youth, aged 15 to 29 years, were not in employment, education or training (NEET) in 2024.
Statistics Canada
Business benefits that matter
Hiring Opportunity Youth addresses urgent business needs.
In a time of economic pressure, hiring OY helps you meet your goals while building stronger teams.
01
Talent shortages
Fill entry-level roles with motivated candidates
02
Demographic shifts
Prepare for retirements with a youth talent pipeline
03
Inclusion pressures
Advance your talent strategy and reflect community diversity
A workforce hiding in
plain sight
You might already be hiring OY – but when it’s intentional, the results are transformative.
These young people bring grit, adaptability, and real-world perspective, and with the right support – a bit of structure, mentorship, and belief – they often become your most loyal and hard-working team members.
Whether you’re leading a rig crew, staffing a retail team, or shaping your future workforce, hiring Opportunity Youth isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s a smart, community-building investment.
The triple win
When employers hire Opportunity Youth intentionally and with support, it pays off – through stronger teams, thriving youth, and resilient communities.
01
For employers
- Up to 25% higher retention (Fast Company)
- Boost innovation and workplace culture
- Fill gaps in hard-to-staff roles
02
For youth
- Young people experience income increases over time when they receive supportive onboarding, mentorship, and career development
- Career path clarity, confidence, and social mobility
- Dignity and purpose through meaningful work
03
For community
- Canadian economic benefit of $18.5B by 2034 if youth unemployment is reduced (Deloitte, 2024)
- Decreased reliance on social services
- Safer, healthier, more resilient communities
Business benefits that matter
Operational gains
Diverse teams with youth voices innovate more and outperform peers.
Talent pipeline
Youth bring digital know-how, adaptability, and eagerness to learn – building the foundation for future leadership.
Employer brand uplift
Engaging OY demonstrates values in action, fueling trust with customers, partners, and the community.
Did you know?Employers that hire youth from marginalized groups achieve higher retention rates by creating inclusive environments and mentorship programs.
Youth Futures Foundation
Success story
Creating first opportunities for newcomer youth to grow and succeed
At Barbecues Galore, many young newcomers are finding their footing, and their future, in the Canadian workplace. The company employs youth in a range of roles including customer service, sales, barbecue and furniture assembly, delivery, and administration.
Through a collaboration with the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS), youth first participate in job preparation programs that build skills and confidence before entering employment. Once hired, they receive on-the-job training and support that help them thrive; a true win-win for both the youth and the employer.
“These young newcomers are full of enthusiasm and demonstrate their desire to learn and develop with us,” says Adriana Sgrosso, Human Resources Generalist. “As a company, we are made stronger by offering them the ability to grow both personally and professionally.”
Why it worked: A trusted eight-year partnership between a business and a non-profit agency; youth well-prepared for the Canadian workplace; and a range of entry-level roles with built-in training and growth opportunities.
As a company, we are made stronger by offering them the ability to grow both personally and professionally.
Adriana Sgrosso, Human Resources Generalist
Barbecues Galore
You’re not in this alone
Hiring Opportunity Youth isn’t a solo journey – it’s a shared commitment. Behind every successful hire is a network of support, rooted in trust, partnership, and the belief that work can be a powerful force for equity.
Non-profit agencies are ready to walk beside you. They understand the barriers youth face and can help you shape inclusive hiring, onboarding, and mentorship supports.
By collaborating with agencies, you’re not just filling roles – you’re building relationships that strengthen culture, advance DEI, and help youth build stable, purposeful lives. You don’t need all the answers – just the right partners.
Intentional hiring is smart hiring
If you have a robust people strategy, invest in employee growth, and believe in offering someone a long-awaited first chance – you’re already on the right path.
In fact, you may be closer than you think. Many organizations are hiring Opportunity Youth without even realizing it, through inclusive postings, internship programs, or entry-level roles designed for potential over polish. With a little intention, those efforts can become a powerful launchpad – turning opportunity into lasting impact.
Do it on purpose
When hiring becomes intentional, the results are transformative. When you name it, support it, and design for success, you move from passive inclusion to purposeful impact – and that’s where retention, loyalty, and performance take root.
See enhanced performance
Hiring Opportunity Youth isn’t just good for equity – it enhances performance. Research repeatedly shows that inclusive teams are more adaptive, collaborative, and innovative. OY bring critical lived experience – especially in community-facing roles – helping build empathy and connection.
Assess your current team
You might already have an Opportunity Youth on your team. Let’s make sure they stay – and thrive.
Step into leadership:
become an OY Champion
This is your opportunity to fill key roles, future-proof your team, align your people strategy goals with real-world action, and be known as an employer that sees potential. Opportunity Youth bring digital know-how, lived experience, and a desire to succeed. With the right environment – one that includes mentorship, structure, and care – they not only rise, they lead.
OY Champions are organizations and leaders who:
Hire with purpose
seeing strength in resilience
Bridge gaps with partnerships
drawing on non-profit agencies for support, referrals, and training
Elevate internal champions
managers and mentors who believe in people-first leadership
Align hiring with DEI goals
ensuring inclusion goes beyond intent and into action
Ready to lead? Start here.
Our OY Works Guides give you what you need to move from intention to action.
Success story
The door is open wide at Milk Jar: A success for business and community
At 20, Chloe had often been told that finding a job would be difficult. Milk Jar Candle Company proved otherwise, proudly building a workforce where close to one-third of employees live with intellectual or physical disabilities.
“Milk Jar’s inclusive hiring practice allowed me to succeed in ways I previously thought impossible for me,” says Chloe. “Neurodivergent people and people with disabilities can thrive and bring unique skills and perspectives to a workplace, especially when met with acceptance and understanding.”
Two years later, Chloe is recognized as one of their best employees. “Our sales are growing, and our team feels seen, safe, and appreciated,” says Founder and CEO Holly Singer. “That tells me we’re doing it right – not just as a business, but as part of humanity.”
Why it worked: Leadership took intentional steps to create a workplace full of acceptance and understanding, where unique abilities are embraced and harnessed.
Milk Jar’s inclusive hiring practice allowed me to succeed in ways I previously thought impossible for me.
Chloe, Opportunity Youth hire
Inspire your leaders
It starts at the top. When leaders communicate and act on their commitment to include OY within a robust people strategy, it becomes engrained in the organization’s culture.
Start attracting OY
If you’re ready to intentionally recruit and develop young people who otherwise might struggle to find their first opportunity, the strategies and guides in this toolkit will help.