Employment Insurance (EI) Must Help More Workers

EI is the most important income security program for workers faced with unemployment, but current eligibility criteria allow only 40% of male workers to qualify for benefits in the face of unemployment. This number decreases to 32% for unemployed women.

Having access to EI ensures that families can avoid falling into poverty while they seek employment that matches their skills or have the opportunity to receive valuable training which will improve their employment opportunities.

It is time for the federal government to use the accumulated surplus in the EI fund which reaches over $50 billion on the workers who need it the most, particularly as we head into a period of economic insecurity.

Eligibility requirements should be restored to 360 hours, with benefit levels based on the best 12 weeks of earnings at 60% of earnings as a minimum.

Family Security in Insecure Times: The Case for a Poverty Reduction Strategy for Canada, 2008 Report Card