Mayor Brandon Johnson recently announced a 20% increase in youth summer employment positions, signaling a significant commitment to young people in the city. Created within his first few weeks in office, this increase marks a clear intention from this administration to foster youth development.
Within weeks of taking office, and in collaboration with sister agencies, community organizations and the business community, we increased the number of youth summer employment opportunities by 4,000 jobs, filling nearly 25,000 positions – an increase of 20% from last summer.
— Mayor Brandon Johnson (@ChicagosMayor) November 13, 2023
As revealed by Mayor Johnson, a coalition of city agencies, community organizations, and the business community, has managed to create 4,000 additional jobs. This makes nearly 25,000 positions available, however, the applications from over 46,000 young people indicate that demand still surpasses supply.
Reacting to this intense demand, the city has earmarked over $76 million for youth jobs and related programs in the budget. These funds are anticipated to generate a significant impact on young lives by providing almost 4,000 additional opportunities. While the current budget powers this advancement, Mayor Johnson emphasized that the goal is to further improve this foundation with subsequent budgets to meet demand steadily.
