Canada's Ready, Willing and Able Program Nears Funding End After Filling 6,300 Jobs
Updated
Updated · The Laker · Jul 27
Canada's Ready, Willing and Able Program Nears Funding End After Filling 6,300 Jobs
1 articles · Updated · The Laker · Jul 27
Summary
Federal support for Ready, Willing and Able is nearing its end just as Canada faces a deepening labor shortage driven by retirements and immigration-policy changes.
The program has placed more than 6,300 people with intellectual disabilities or autism into jobs since 2014 through Ottawa's Opportunities Fund, linking employers, job seekers and community groups.
Roughly 75% of working-age Canadians in that group remain unemployed or underemployed, leaving about 500,000 potential workers sidelined while businesses struggle to hire and retain staff.
Backers say the funding cliff risks halting one of Canada's most established inclusive-employment efforts at a moment when employers need reliable workers and policymakers are searching for labor-supply solutions.