Federal labour market strategies for Indigenous Peoples are being developed and delivered by way of joint administration by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). The flagship strategy is the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training (ISET) Program, launched in April 2019 with a Budget 2018 commitment of $2 billion over five years and $408 million ongoing from 2019 to 2028. ISET is distinctions-based, with co-led Program Implementation Working Groups for First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and urban or non-affiliated streams, and operates through 10-year funding agreements with Indigenous service delivery organizations. Since its inception, ISET has supported over 298,000 individuals, resulting in more than 112,000 job placements and 37,000 returns to school.
The ISET Program is complemented by two related federal strategies. The Skills and Partnership Fund (SPF), a project-based ESDC program in place since 2010, funds partnerships between Indigenous organizations and industry employers to deliver demand-driven training linked to specific jobs. Since 2016, SPF has served over 24,000 Indigenous clients, with more than 9,000 finding employment and over 2,000 returning to school, and was the subject of a 2024 ESDC evaluation. The First Nations and Inuit Youth Employment Strategy (FNIYES), administered by ISC with an annual budget of approximately $26 million and an additional $54 million provided through the 2022 Fall Economic Statement, supports First Nations and Inuit youth aged 15 to 30 through two programs: the First Nations and Inuit Summer Work Experience Program and the First Nations and Inuit Skills Link Program. Since its launch in 1997, FNIYES has provided approximately 150,000 opportunities. Budget 2024 announced an additional $150.7 million for 2025-26 through the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, of which FNIYES is a component. Peer-reviewed evaluation literature finds that active labour market programming produces positive but diverse returns across Indigenous subgroups, with the strongest employment and earnings effects for Métis and non-Status First Nations participants in high-intensity interventions.
