Organisations can receive up to $7,800 per student
The government of Newfoundland and Labrador is offering wage subsidies of up to $7,800 per student to help employers create summer jobs for high school and post-secondary students under its 2026 Summer Employment Program for Students (SEPS).
The application deadline is February 19, 2026, with assessment of applications to begin after the deadline. The provincial notice warns that “incomplete applications will result in delays.”
SEPS “provides funding to assist private sector businesses and not‐for‐profit organizations create summer employment for students (post-secondary or high school).” The government says students “benefit by gaining valuable work experience that will facilitate future labour market participation.”
Subsidies for summer students
For summer 2026, private sector employers are “eligible to receive a maximum subsidy of $4,032 per each full-time equivalent approval.” Not-for-profit employers are “eligible to receive a maximum subsidy of $7,800 per each full-time equivalent approval. This includes wages and mandatory employment related costs (MERC).”
Employers have flexibility in structuring placements. According to the province, “employers have flexibility on the number of students hired, hours, and weeks with each approval. Labour standards must be maintained in any arrangement. All student employment must end on or before Monday, Sept. 7, 2026.”
In November 2025, Ottawa opened the application period for the 2026 Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program, inviting employers across the country to submit their proposals to provide summer work experiences for young Canadians while also looking to address labour shortages.
Employer application process
To qualify, students must be entering or returning to post-secondary training in the upcoming academic year, or be “currently enrolled in high school – Level I, II or III or moving from the intermediate level (Gr. 9) to Level I in September 2026,” and must be legally entitled to work in Canada. They must not be an immediate family member of the employer and must apply directly to the employer.
The program is administered through the province’s Labour Market Programs Support System (LaMPSS). All employers must be set up as government vendors before payment can be issued. “Vendor set-up and LaMPSS registration are initiated once you register here: Employer Registration,” the guidance states.
To apply, “employers must complete and submit an Online Application in LaMPSS.” Employers are “required to review the Program Guidelines and adhere to the Terms and Conditions prior to submission of their application for funding.”
If employers are applying for multiple geographically separate locations throughout the province, a separate application must be completed for these areas, and then separate applications should be submitted.
Once an application is submitted, employers can check the progress of their application by logging into their LaMPSS account and viewing the agreement status; and are notified of the decision by telephone and email. Official approval is only confirmed in writing. Employers then have 14 days to provide the name of the student(s) to be hired and submit a Student Contact and Consent form for each.
Canadian employers are approaching 2026 with slow economic growth, cautious hiring plans and limited wage pressure, even as conditions are being laid for a modest recovery later in the year, according to a previous report.
