Connecting Canadians with Available Jobs
General Information Session
for Stakeholders
servicecanada.gc.ca
Economic Action Plan 2012
Helping EI claimants return to work more quickly
• Economic Action Plan 2012 is helping unemployed workers find work by
supporting their job search efforts and helping them return to work quickly
• EI provides temporary financial assistance while EI claimants are actively
looking for and prepared to accept work that is suitable to their skills,
qualifications and experience
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Connecting Canadians with Available Jobs (CCAJ)
To support economic growth and meet the challenges associated with both an aging population and
growing international competition for skilled workers, the Government of Canada is taking action to
connect unemployed workers with available jobs by:
1. Improving labour market information, including new enhanced Job Alerts
2. Clarifying claimants’ obligations by defining reasonable job search and suitable employment*
3. Helping to ensure unemployed Canadians are considered before temporary foreign workers are
hired to fill job vacancies
4. Working with provinces and territories to make skills training and job search supports available to EI
claimants earlier in their claim
* New definitions apply to individuals receiving EI regular and fishing benefits and not to those receiving special benefits (sickness,
compassionate, maternity and parental)
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1. Improving Labour Market Information
Prior to January 6, 2013, EI claimants who chose to sign-up for Job Alerts only received up to 3
advertisements every 2 weeks
Enhanced Job Alerts system
•
Claimants who register for Job Alerts as of January 6, 2013 will receive up to two emails per
day on available job listings. They may choose to receive job listings for a variety of jobs and
regions
•
Job listings received through Job Alerts are based on claimants’ skills and where they live,
drawing from a broad range of sources, including Job Bank and in the future private-sector job
boards
•
Job Alerts also provide easier access and more information about employment (e.g. expected
pay, future prospects) in current and related occupations
•
Job Alerts is one of the convenient ways to get job postings to look for work
•
Registering is easy through the Working in Canada website www.workingincanada.gc.ca
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2.1 EI Claimant Responsibilities – Reasonable Job Search
•
EI regular claimants – including fishers – have always had the responsibility of conducting job search
activities and keeping a record of all their job search efforts
•
Service Canada will assess their efforts objectively based on the following criteria:
1. Job search activities
• For example: Preparing a resume, searching, applying, interviews, job fairs, networking, other
efforts
2. Intensity of job search
• Claimants are required to undertake job search activities on an ongoing basis
3. Type of work being sought
• Varies according to previous use of EI and length of time on claim
• Jobs that claimants are qualified to perform or can become qualified for with on-the-job
training
4. Evidence of job search efforts
• Writing down job search details on a Job Search form or on another piece of paper
• Claimants may be asked to provide information on their job search efforts
Availability of employment opportunities where claimants live and commuting time will be taken
into account when assessing job search efforts
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2.2 EI Claimant Responsibilities – Suitable Employment
•
Claimants have a responsibility to accept any offer of suitable employment
•
Six criteria are used to assess what constitutes suitable employment, four of which do not vary
according to previous use of EI and time spent on claim:
1. Claimant’s personal circumstances
• Consideration will be given to claimants’ personal circumstances (e.g., health
conditions, family situations)
2. Working conditions
• Position offered is not vacant due to a strike, lockout or other labour dispute
3. Commuting time
• Workplace is within one hour commute – could be higher taking into account
previous commuting history and community’s average commuting time
4. Hours of work
• All available hours of work (number of hours per day and hours outside of the usual
work schedule) are deemed suitable
•
What specific type of work, and at what pay is suitable will depend on a claimant’s premium
contributions and claim history
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2.2 EI Claimant Responsibilities – Suitable Employment
Claimants are categorized according to previous EI premium contributions and claim history:
Long-tenured Workers
Economic Action Plan’s
definition: Paid at least 30% of
the annual maximum EI
premiums for at least 7 out of
the last 10 years; and over the
last 5 years received 35 or fewer
weeks of EI regular/fishing
benefits
Frequent Claimants
3 or more regular/fishing claims
and more than 60 weeks of
regular/fishing benefits in past 5
years
Occasional Claimants
Includes all claimants not
captured by the definitions for
frequent and long-tenured
workers
Claimants can visit www.servicecanada.gc.ca/EIchanges or call Toll-Free:1-800-206-7218 to
obtain information about their personal situation
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2.2 EI Claimant Responsibilities – Suitable Employment
Claimant categories
Work that claimants are required to seek and accept
Similar occ., 80%
of prev. earnings
Long-tenured Same occupation, 90% of previous earnings
workers
Same occupation,
Similar occupation, 80% of previous earnings
Occasional 90% of previous earnings
Similar occupation,
Any work the claimant is qualified to perform (with on-the-job training,
if required), 70% of previous earnings
Frequent 80% of previous earnings
1
2
3
4
5
Any work, 70%
of prev. earnings
6
7
8
9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 +
EI claim duration, including waiting period (weeks)
Claimants will always be better off accepting suitable employment than being on EI
* Earnings cannot be lower than the minimum wage effective in the province or territory where employment is being sought
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What do these changes mean for
claimants and employers?
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Implications for EI claimants who receive regular or fishing benefits
If EI claimants live in a community where there are no jobs, are they required to look for work and if
so, what do they need to do?
•
Connecting Canadians with Available Jobs is about ensuring EI claimants look for work and
for the Government of Canada to support them in their job seeking efforts
•
People who receive EI regular and fishing benefits have always had a responsibility to
conduct a reasonable job search and accept any offer of suitable employment
•
In order to continue to receive benefits, claimants must be looking for work - they cannot
simply state that there are no jobs in their area, without trying to find work
•
Minimum job search requirements would include: talking with former colleagues, friends,
and resource centre employees about potential opportunities; looking for potential job
opportunities in the newspaper and/or online; and applying for any suitable employment
opportunities, should there be any
•
The requirement of what is reasonable will take into account the local job market: for
example the amount of time needed to sift through potential jobs in an area with a
handful of jobs will take much less time than in a city with hundreds of potential jobs
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Implications for EI claimants who receive regular or fishing benefits
Are EI claimants expected to commute longer than an hour or move to find a job?
•
Claimants are not required to move in order to continue to collect EI regular or fishing
benefits
•
Generally, claimants are not required to pursue employment opportunities where the
commuting time exceeds one hour each way
•
Claimants are expected to accept jobs that exceed one hour commuting time only if they
previously commuted more than an hour or live in a community where the commuting
time is often more than one hour (e.g. Greater Toronto Area)
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Implications for EI claimants who receive regular or fishing benefits
Why are claimants required to seek and accept lower paying jobs?
•
Claimants have always been required to seek and accept all suitable work while in receipt
of EI benefits
•
In fact, claimants have always been required to expand the scope of their job search (type
of work and wage) with time spent on claim – this is common sense, claimants need to
adjust their expectations if they cannot find work
•
The updated Regulations clarifies when claimants should expand their work and ensure
that they are no worse off than being on EI
•
EI is not expected to have an impact on wages. Employers set wages based on numerous
factors, including skills, knowledge, experience, provincial/federal labour laws, and
collective agreements. The fact that a prospective employee is on EI should not influence
wages
•
CCAJ is about helping Canadian return to work more quickly. When working, Canadians
have more money to take care of their families and to spend in their communities, which
in turn helps drive up wages.
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Implications for EI claimants who receive regular or fishing benefits
Are EI claimants required to accept a job that leaves them worse off than collecting EI benefits?
•
No. Regular and fishing claimants are not expected to accept employment that results in
being worse off than collecting EI benefits
•
An employment opportunity is not suitable if the wage, taking into account direct costs
such as childcare and transportation, would result in the claimant being worse off than
while on EI. For example:
 A potential job offers a weekly salary of $500
 The claimant would incur weekly direct costs (childcare and transportation) of $175
 The claimant’s weekly EI benefits are $350
 As the net wage of $325 (500 – 175) is less than their EI benefits, the job would not be
deemed suitable
•
The “no worse off” financial aspect is a specific provision within the new EI Regulations and
ensures that only job opportunities that result in a claimant being better off financially are
considered suitable
•
Each case is assessed on its own merits and common-sense will prevail in assessing which
job opportunities are suitable
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Implications for EI claimants who receive regular or fishing benefits
If a person quits a job to return to their normal seasonal work, will those hours count towards their
next EI claim?
•
Generally, if an individual leaves one job for a higher paying job, their quit can be considered as
having just cause for the purposes of EI
•
Each situation is assessed on a case-by-case basis and common sense will prevail in assessing
these situations. Numerous factors are taken into account when determining if a quit has just
cause, including the assurance of another job, the length of the delay before starting the new
job, expected duration of the employment, rate of pay, type of work, hours of work at the new
job, as well as any other factors that may have contributed to quitting
•
If just cause is proven, all hours of insurable employment are used to assess eligibility for EI
benefits – this can increase EI entitlement in terms maximum duration and/or weekly benefit
rate
•
If just cause is not proven, claimants must accumulate sufficient insurable hours to establish an
EI claim in the job they had since they quit they previous job
•
Quitting a job to return to seasonal work will not impact an individual’s ability to access EI
benefits – so long as they are able to accumulate sufficient insurable hours from their seasonal
work
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Implications for EI claimants who receive regular or fishing benefits
What happens if EI claimants do not follow the rules?
•
Not searching for or refusing any suitable employment may result in benefits being
stopped
•
All claims are assessed on an individual basis, in a reasonable way that takes into
account the claimant’s work history, willingness to accept employment and efforts
made to find work given the availability of local jobs
•
If benefits are stopped, claimants who subsequently comply with the rules (e.g. start
looking for work) can have their benefits restarted
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Implications for EI claimants who receive regular or fishing benefits
Are union hiring hall agreements still in place? If not why?
•
Union hiring halls remain a part of a reasonable job search effort
•
Under the new Regulations, EI regular and fishing claimants are able to restrict their job search efforts to
membership in a union hiring hall only for those weeks where they are required to seek suitable
employment opportunities within their “same occupation”. For example:
• Long-tenured workers may restrict their job search efforts to membership in a union hiring hall
for the first 18 weeks of their claim
• Occasional claimants may restrict their job search efforts to membership in a union hiring hall
for the first six weeks of their claim
•
Existing hiring hall agreements will no longer be effective as the new Regulations supersede them
•
As the period of time spent on an EI claim increases, EI claimants are required to broaden the scope of
their search to increase their opportunities to obtain suitable employment, including looking for both
union and non-union suitable jobs
•
EI claimants are never required to accept a job with unsafe working conditions or a position that has
become vacant due directly to a strike, lockout or other labour dispute. In addition, claimants are not
expected to take employment where the employer requires them to give up or take new union
membership
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Implications for Employers
Do EI claimants have to contact employers even if they are not currently offering positions?
•
EI claimants are encouraged to contact prospective employers in a manner that can
directly assist them in improving their chances of obtaining suitable employment
(e.g. letting employers know they are available and submitting their resumes)
•
It is still the employers’ decision to determine which candidates they wish to
interview and hire
•
Employers are under no obligation to provide claimants or Service Canada employees
with documentation or other information for the purposes of confirming a claimant’s
job search efforts
•
EI claimants should not be charged a fee for a letter from an employer confirming
their job search efforts, which they do not need
•
While claimants are receiving EI regular or fishing benefits it is important that they
document their job search efforts. For example, claimants are encouraged to keep
copies of job applications they have submitted
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Implications for Employers
How are employers supposed to maintain their workforce if employees are forced to take other jobs
during the off-season?
•
The CCAJ initiative is designed to support and encourage people to look for work,
whether they are experiencing a permanent or temporary layoff
•
The combination of the enhanced Job Alerts system with clarified responsibilities for
EI claimants will mean employers will have more workers to support them
•
Employers should advise Service Canada if claimants are refusing suitable
employment
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Implications for Employers
What should employers do if EI claimants refuse job offers?
•
Employers should advise Service Canada if claimants are refusing suitable
employment
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Implications for Employers
Are employers being forced to hire EI claimants instead of temporary foreign workers?
•
No. Employers retain the right to hire the best candidates to meet their needs
•
However, employers seeking to hire a temporary foreign worker have always been required
to demonstrate that they are unable to find qualified Canadians to fill job vacancies
•
Employers will continue to be expected to consider available Canadians first; including EI
regular and fishing claimants. The new Job Alerts system will help employers find workers by
ensuring that unemployed workers are aware of job opportunities
•
Where there is a legitimate need, employers will continue to have access to the Temporary
Foreign Worker Program
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Contact Us
For more information on Connecting Canadians With Available Job please
visit www.servicecanada.gc.ca and/or www.workingincanada.gc.ca websites
to find more information about this initiative
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Other EI changes
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Annex A
Working While on Claim (WWC) Pilot Project
•
Helps EI claimants stay connected with labour market by encouraging them to accept work
and earn additional income while receiving EI
•
Since August 5, 2012, EI claimants can keep 50% of their EI benefits for every dollar
earned while on claim, up to 90% of the weekly insurable earnings used to calculate the EI
benefit amount. Earnings beyond this threshold are deducted dollar for dollar
•
Some claimants cannot find work beyond one day per week. To help them, the
Government announced an amendment to the current WWC pilot project
•
Since January 6, 2013, EI recipients who were in receipt of regular, parental or
compassionate care benefits and had earnings between August 7, 2011 and August 4,
2012, and were eligible to benefit from the WWC pilot project provisions, are allowed to
revert to rules that existed under the previous WWC pilot project
•
Under the previous rules, claimants could earn $75 or 40% of their weekly benefits
without seeing their EI reduced. Any earnings above that threshold reduced their benefits
dollar for dollar
•
To revert to the old rules, since January 6th claimants can contact Service Canada
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Annex B
Variable Best Weeks
•
Effective April 7, 2013, EI benefits will be calculated using the highest weeks of
earnings over the last year. The number of weeks used will range from 14 to 22,
depending on the unemployment rate in the particular EI region. For example:
•
•
In regions of high unemployment (more than 13%), the benefit rate would
be based on the best 14 weeks of earnings over the past 52 weeks
In regions with the lowest unemployment (less than 6%), the benefit rate
would be based on the best 22 weeks of the past 52 weeks
•
This permanent national approach will make EI more responsive to changes in local
economic conditions and ensure that those living in similar labour market conditions
receive similar benefits
•
The current Best 14 Weeks pilot project available in 25 EI regions has been extended
until April 2013
•
The new Variable Best Weeks approach will not apply to the self-employed or fishers
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