Important Government Links

More Opportunities To Grow Alberta’s Workforce
November 09, 2021

About the Alberta Jobs Now program

• Employers can apply for a grant that covers 25 per cent of an employee’s salary for a 52-week period up to a maximum of $25,000 per employee. Employers who hire persons with disabilities will receive a grant 1.5 times higher than the amount they receive for other new employees. 
• The grant can be used to cover salary or training costs.

Quick facts

• Changes to the Alberta Jobs Now program include:
  • Opening the program to Alberta businesses and non-profits that have been incorporated or registered for less than a year.
  • Reducing the minimum number of hours employees must work under the program from 30 to 15 hours per week.
  • While the focus is on hiring unemployed and underemployed Albertans, employers may fill available positions with employed Albertans if there is a business need.
  • Reducing the number of positions that employers can apply for per intake period from 20 to 10.
  • Reducing the amount of time employers have to fill positions from 120 to 90 days after receiving application approval.
• Employers can apply to the second intake period starting on Nov. 10.
• Employers who have hired eligible employees since May 19, but have not submitted an application, can apply during this intake period.
• If an employer was previously declined because their employee(s) was ineligible but now qualifies under the new criteria, the employer can reapply.

Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) - Opens Again Nov 1, 2021

Click here for more information: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/subsidy/emergency-wage-subsidy.html

As a Canadian employer who has seen a drop in revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic, you may be eligible for a subsidy to cover part of your employee wages. This subsidy will enable you to re-hire workers, help prevent further job losses, and ease your business back into normal operations.

Jobs and Growth Fund (Government of Canada) – Continuous intake – projects must be completed by March 31, 2024

Click here for more information: https://www.wd-deo.gc.ca/eng/20185.asp

Business Funding:

• Enabling Accessibility Fund (EAF) for funding of up to $50,000 for accessibility/safety retrofit, renovation and/or construction projects. This program is described as follows:
  “The EAF funds organizations, businesses and other eligible recipients to improve accessibility and/or safety for people with disabilities by supporting the capital costs of renovation, construction and/or retrofit activities and the provision of accessible technologies in workplaces and communities across Canada.”  Full details at https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/funding/enabling-accessibility-fund-small-projects.html
• Aboriginal Business Investment Fund (ABIF) - ABIF provides up to $750,000 capital grant funding for Indigenous community-owned companies to start or expand operations. Application information is available at www.indigenous.alberta.ca/ABIF.cfm. Applications will be accepted from May 15 – August 31. Please contact us at IR.EconomicDevelopment@gov.ab.ca if you have questions or would like a presentation.

Employment Standards

Employment Insurance Benefits

Until September 24, 2022 - Temporary

You only need to have accumulated 420 hours of insurable employment during your qualifying period to qualify for EI benefits.

If you were assessed a violation, you may need more insurable hours to qualify for benefits. The required amount rises based on the number and seriousness of misrepresentations that have been recorded in the 5-year period before the start of your claim.

After September 24, 2022

You will need between 420 and 700 hours of insurable employment based on the unemployment rate in your area during the qualifying period to qualify for regular benefits:

Once you have determined the unemployment rate in your area, see the table below for the number of hours required.

Look up EI Economic Region by Postal Code to find out the unemployment rate in your region and the number of hours to qualify for regular benefits.

If you received a notice of violation regarding prior EI benefit periods, the number of insurable hours required to qualify is increased.

The number of hours is shown in the following table: