Special Measures For Employers Introduced In Response To U.S. Tariffs

The federal government recently introduced special measures to the Work-Sharing Program to help mitigate the impact of U.S. tariffs on employers and employees.

Under the Work-Sharing Program, an employer and group of employees may enter into an agreement with Service Canada ("Work-Sharing Agreement"), through which employees receive income support through Employment Insurance (EI) benefits during a period where there is less work available for the employees because of factors beyond the employer's control. This differs from usual EI, where an employee must be entirely without income for at least seven days before claiming.

Under a Work-Sharing Agreement, employees agree to a reduced schedule of work and to share the available work equally over the term of the Work-Sharing Agreement. The employer is also obligated to have recovery measures in place to return employees back to regular work hours by the end of the Work-Sharing Agreement.