subject: Employment Insurance In Canada [print this page] Canada is a somewhat more social country than the US, and one element where it distinguishes itself is employment insurance. The federal government has a fairly accessible system for employment insurance that is available to all Canadians who lose their job through no fault of their own. This allows them to have a known income while they find another job. Employment insurance in Canada contains some complex rules, but can be quite easy to understand.
First, it's important to note that employment insurance, referred to as EI by government sites, isn't made to keep you afloat if you don't want to work. That's why the reason you left your last job is crucial as to whether or not you can receive money from the government. When you lose your job, the employer has to file a paper on which they write the cause of the job loss. There are many reasons they can specify, and the important thing to remember is that only reasons that are not caused by the employee allows them to receive financial assistance. This means if you were fired for misconduct, you left voluntarily, or because of a breach of contract, then you receive no help. However, if the company closed down, or there's a lack of work and they needed to let you go, then you are entitled for help. There's also special cases, like maternity leave and people who are unable to work because of an injury.
How much you get in financial assistance, and for how long, depends on several items. The most important one is your average salary during the last 54 weeks of work. In order to qualify to receive anything at all, there's a minimum amount of hours you need to have worked during these past weeks. Then, the salary you received will be used in the calculation of how much assistance you get. The other large factor that influences the amount is the unemployment rate in your region. The idea is that if unemployment is very low, then chances are you could find a job easily, and so you aren't going to receive as much. You can file a request for financial help through the federal government web site, and the decision is usually sent within a few weeks. There's also a 2 weeks wait period before you start receiving money.
Once you've been accepted, you are typically sent to a group meeting where job related assistance groups and programs in your region are explained to you. After that, you have to fill up a form every 2 weeks on the web to reaffirm that you're still looking for a job. This has to be done to receive your money. Overall, the whole process is fairly quick and simple, and for those who lost their jobs, at least it's useful help while they look for more work.
by: Casey Trillbar
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