Overview

End of Wildfire special measures

Starting November 5, 2023 - the temporary changes to the Work-Sharing program implemented during the Wildfires will no longer be in effect. Agreements with a start date after November 5, 2023 will be under the regular Work-Sharing program. Active agreements starting on or before November 5, 2023 will not be impacted. Employers with questions related to the end of the Wildfire special measures may send inquiries to edsc.dgop.tp.rep-res.ws.pob.esdc@servicecanada.gc.ca.

The Work-Sharing Program helps employers and employees avoid layoffs when:

• there is a temporary decrease in the normal level of business activity, and
• the decrease is beyond the control of the employer

The agreement provides income support to employees eligible for Employment Insurance benefits who work a temporarily reduced work week while their employer recovers. All employees participating in the agreement must experience a minimum 10% reduction to their normal weekly earnings.

A Work-Sharing agreement is a three party agreement involving employers, employees and Service Canada.

Employees on a Work-Sharing agreement must agree to:

• a reduced schedule of work, and
• share the available work equally over the term of the agreement

The employer and the employees involved (and the union, if applicable) must agree to participate in a Work-Sharing agreement. Then, the employer/employer representative, employee representative and, if applicable, the union representative apply to participate in a Work-Sharing agreement.

Agreement duration and extension

Work-Sharing agreements starting after September 25, 2022 must have a minimum duration of 6 weeks and can last up to 26 weeks. If needed, an extension may be requested of up to 12 weeks bringing the initial agreement to a maximum total of 38 weeks. Work-Sharing agreements are not extended automatically. To request an extension of a Work-Sharing agreement, an application must be submitted a minimum of 10 business days prior to the end date of the Work-Sharing agreement.

A mandatory cooling-off period must be served once the agreement has ended or has been terminated. The duration of the cooling-off period will be equal to the number of weeks utilized in the previous agreement (up to a maximum of 38 weeks).

Please note that Work-Sharing agreements can only start on a Sunday to align with the Employment Insurance payment cycle. Please consider this when planning the desired start date of your agreement in your Work-Sharing application.

Special measures

The Work-Sharing Program may introduce temporary special measures at any time to provide additional support for affected businesses during a period of economic downturn, natural disaster or if a national emergency is declared. The special measures provide targeted support for businesses impacted to recover and avoid layoffs for a specific period of time.

Wildfire

Work-Sharing Special Measures to support businesses affected by the 2023 Wildfires occurring in multiple regions across Canada are effective June 25, 2023 to November 4, 2023.

If you have any questions regarding the Work-Sharing 2023 Wildfire Special Measures, please contact our Work-Sharing Employer Inquiry Unit at edsc.dgop.tp.rep-res.ws.pob.esdc@servicecanada.gc.ca.

COVID-19

To support businesses affected by the economic downturn related to the COVID-19 pandemic, special measures were in effect from March 15, 2020 to September 24, 2022.

At the end of a special measures agreement, a mandatory 26-week cooling-off period must be served before being eligible to enter a new agreement under the regular program.

If you need support with your active COVID-19 special measures agreement, please contact your regional Work-Sharing unit

Steel and aluminum sector

To support businesses affected by the downturn in the steel and aluminum sector, special measures were effective from August 19, 2018 to March 27, 2021.

Forestry sector

To support businesses affected by the downturn in the forestry sector, special measures were in effect from July 30, 2017 to March 28, 2020.

To support businesses affected by the wildfires in Fort McMurray, special measures were in effect between May 4, 2016 and May 4, 2017.

Commodities sector

To support employers affected by the downturn in the commodities sector, special measures were effective between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017.