Boston Plans 10,500 Summer Youth Jobs as State Funding Faces 46 Percent Cut

BOSTON — March 13, 2026 — Boston youth jobs officials plan for 10,500 summer placements but warn of a potential 46 percent cut to state funding. The City Council Committee on Human Services held its fifth annual pre-season hearing March 13, with Allison Verney, executive director of the Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity, and Joseph Lee, chief of staff to the Worker Empowerment and Workforce Development cabinet, telling committee Chair Erin Murphy and colleagues that $18.5 million has been allocated to 145 nonprofits and 83 city agencies to fund 6,115 city-funded jobs, with private-sector partners through the Boston Private Industry Council expected to fill out a total of roughly 10,500 positions. Applications open Monday, March 16, at boston.gov/futureboss. A redesigned April 18 jobs fair at the Reggie Lewis Center will use a two-wave entry system and non-invasive metal detectors after last year's safety incident. Officials said anticipated cuts to Commonwealth Corps Youth Works funding — down to roughly $2.4 million from $4.1 million statewide — would hit the school-year program first, with summer 2026 jobs already allocated at last year's levels. Last summer more than 12,000 young people applied for 10,500 positions, leaving between 1,500 and 2,000 without placements.