Tougher rules announced for EI, job searches
Seasonal workers hit hardest
OTTAWA — The federal government is proposing changes to employment- insurance that target repeat EI claimants and require all recipients to commute up to an hour or more for a job and accept work if it pays between 70 and 90 per cent of their previous income.
The Conservatives will wait until their omnibus budget implementation bill is passed by Parliament before fully defining “suitable employment” that EI recipients must accept to continue receiving the benefits and what is considered a “reasonable job search.”
It released some of the broad outlines Thursday of what will be expected from EI claimants — changes that were panned by opposition parties and labour groups as an attack against seasonal industries that will also undercut wages and working conditions.
The EI overhaul will most dramatically affect seasonal sectors and their workers, which has some Atlantic premiers worried the plans could hurt their economies.
“They have to realize that one size does not fit all, that what works in downtown Toronto and downtown Calgary does not necessarily work in Prince Edward Island,” P. E. I. Premier Robert Ghiz said. “We can understand that changes need to be made. We just need to make sure it fits every jurisdiction across the country.”
In determining the type of work and wages considered suitable, EI claimants will be placed in one of three categories:
• Long- tenured workers ( 25 per cent of claimants): People who have paid into the EI system for the seven of previous 10 years and have received 35 or fewer weeks of EI regular benefits over the previous five years. They would be provided with more time to search for a job within their usual occupation and normal salary ranges, starting at 90 per cent of previous hourly wage. After 18 weeks on EI benefits, they would be required to expand their search to “similar” jobs and accept wages at 80 per cent of previous wage.
• Frequent claimants ( 17 per cent of claimants): EI claimants who had three or more regular and/ or fishery worker claims and received more than 60 weeks of benefits in the past five years. They would be required to expand their search to “similar” jobs at the onset of their claim and accept wages starting at 80 per cent of previous hourly wage. After receiving benefits for seven weeks, they would be required to accept any work they are qualified to perform and accept wages at 70 per cent of previous hourly wage.
• Occasional claimants ( 58 per cent of claimants): This group would include all other claimants, who generally have limited experience of being unemployed and searching for work. Occasional claimants would be allowed to limit their job search to their usual occupation and normal wages ( at least 90 per cent of previous hourly wage) but, after receiving benefits for seven weeks, would have to expand their search to similar jobs and accept 80 per cent of usual wage. After 18 weeks, they would have to search for any position they’re qualified for and accept 70 per cent of previous salary.
The federal government will also improve its job- alert system so claimants are emailed twice a day with the latest career listings for their area of work from various job boards.
“These changes are not about forcing people to accept work outside their own area, nor about taking jobs for which they are not suited,” Human Resources Minister Diane Finley told reporters in Ottawa. “These improvements will introduce new, needed commonsense efforts to help Canadians get back to work faster.”
The changes are needed because current EI laws are vague on what is considered suitable work and a reasonable job search, says the government, which will make the reforms through regulations that legally don’t need to be approved by parliamentarians.
As the federal government defines suitable employment, EI claimants, in most cases, will be expected to accept jobs within a one- hour commute, although that could increase for communities that have longer average commuting times for typical workers.