Targeted Wage Subsidies: Program description

• Program Objectives
• How does it work?
• Who can apply?
• How do I apply?/How do I become a sponsor?
• More information

Program Objectives

• To assist unemployed Employment Insurance eligible individuals experiencing difficulty in finding work to benefit from on-the-job work experience; and
• To enable employers to hire individuals who face barriers to employment by offering temporary wage subsidies, that they would not otherwise hire;
• To assist unemployed Employment Insurance eligible individuals to prepare for, obtain and maintain employment resulting in savings to the Employment Insurance Account.

How does it work?

Duration

• Unemployed Employment Insurance eligible individuals who have difficulty finding work due to employment barriers are assisted in locating an employer who will enter into an agreement with the Service Canada Centre to provide the individual with employment. The agreement with the employer can be approved for up to 78 weeks.

Who can apply?

Eligible Participants

• Eligible participants are those who, pursuant to the Employment Insurance Act, are unemployed individuals, and at the time of applying for the Targeted Wage Subsidies Program:
  1. for whom an unemployment benefit period has been established or has ended within the 36 months prior to the date of requesting assistance; or
  2. for whom a benefit period that included a maternity or parental claim within the 60 months prior to the date of requesting assistance, after which the individual remained out of the labour market in order to care for a newborn or newly adopted child and is now seeking to re-enter the labour force.

Eligible Employers

• Other criteria may apply.
• Businesses, Non-profit organizations, Municipalities, Band/tribal councils, Public Health and educational institutions; and,
• Provincial/territorial governments (Provincial government departments and agencies are eligible to receive funding and act as employers or coordinators of activities only if specified in a federal-provincial/territorial agreement or Memorandum of Understanding, or specifically approved by the Minister for Service Canada).

How do I apply?/How do I become a sponsor?

• Eligible individuals can apply to participate in Targeted Wage Subsidies through their Service Canada Centre.  Individuals may also complete the application form (EMP5335) prior to visiting the local office.
• Employers must submit an application to their Service Canada Centre.  Employers may also complete the application form prior to visiting the local office.

Labour Market Development Agreements

• Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) has entered into agreements with most provinces and territories to define how the Benefits and Measures would be delivered in each region.
• As a result, in New Brunswick , Québec , Manitoba , Saskatchewan , Alberta , the Northwest Territories and Nunavut , programs similar to the Employment Benefits and Support Measures are delivered by the provincial or territorial government pursuant to agreements under Section 63 of the Employment Insurance Act.
• Service Canada (SC) delivers the Employment Benefits and Support Measures in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, British Columbia, and the Yukon. Contact the Service Canada Centre nearest you.

More information

To obtain further information about Service Canada and its programs, please contact your Service Canada Centre.

You may read the detailed Terms and Conditions for this program.