EI Eligibility and Women Workers

The EI Act was introduced in 1996, tightening access to insurance benefits by increasing the number of part-time hours and the number of weeks needed to qualify for EI.

The tighter restrictions disproportionately disqualify contingent workers. Women are more likely to be contingent workers because they are more likely to work part-time, non-standard hours and have extended absences from the workforce.

Research found that five years after the new legislation was introduced, women’s access to EI dropped by 6%, whereas men’s access only dropped 1%.

In a 2005 report, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) stated that only 42.8% of unemployed part-timers were eligible for EI. Women account for about 7 in 10 of all Canadian part-time employees. >more

EI and the LMDA: ensuring employment?

Research on Labour Market Development Agreements (LMDA) in other provinces finds that tightened EI eligibility criteria in concert with loss of more flexible funding has left fewer training options for contingent workers.

The LMDAs are tied to the EI Act, meaning that workers who don't qualify for EI cannot access any of the programs and services funded through the EI account and transferred through the LMDA. Tighter eligibility criteria therefore means that fewer clients can access employment supports and programs. 

The new Canada-Ontario Labour Market Partnership Agreement (LMPA), however, represents a partial re-instatement of CRF funding and is designed to fill in the gaps that the LMDA leaves behind. >more

The Pre-Apprenticeship Baker/Patissier Program
(Working Women Community Centre)

The Baker/Patissier Pre-Apprenticeship helped women who have been out of the workforce to develop tangible employment skills and fill labour market demands. A partnership between Working Women Community Centre, George Brown College, and the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities (MTCU) created this innovative and highly successful pilot project that serves women who have been out of the workforce for extended periods and therefore do not qualify for many existing programs and services. Participants took a 36-week full-time training program, followed by a five-month paid work placement.   The pilot ran until December 2006 with significant success rates, and the partners hope to run another program in early 2007. > more

MTCU Consultations on Labour Market Planning
Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities has embarked on a consultation process to get stakeholder feedback on labour market planning processes. MTCU has held consultations throughout Ontario, and is encouraging other key stakeholders to submit recommendations. >more

Good Response to ACTEW’s Pre-LMDA Survey
Seventy-seven organizations responded to ACTEW’s Pre-LMDA Survey. Slightly more than one third are organizations serving women predominantly. We are now analyzing the data and already seeing a few trends. >more

Report from Service Delivery Advisory Group
MTCU has held a series of consultations, and is restructuring the Ministry to move towards a “functional model” in their organizational design. Agencies should be able to go to the Employment Ontario web site to get up-to-date information on the LMDA transition. > more

Facts

• Less than half of unemployed part-time workers qualified for EI in 2004. Women account for about 7 in 10 part-time employees. (1)

• Mothers who enter the workforce for the first time or re-enter after a two-year absence are less likely to qualify for EI than fathers in similar circumstances. This is especially true for single mothers. (1)

• 43% of single mothers in Hamilton are not in the workforce. (2)

• Only one-third of employment support interventions in Nova Scotia are directed towards women in 2002-2003. (3)

• 43% of women's employment service providers in Ontario strongly believe that government-imposed eligibility criteria limits client access to employment and training opportunities. (4)

(1) Women & Employment Insurance , ACTEW, 2007.

(2) Women and Poverty in Hamilton Social Planning & Research Council of Hamilton, 2006

(3)Building Transitions to Good Jobs for Low-Income Women, Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, 2005

(4) Pre-LMDA Survey on Training and Employment, ACTEW, 2007

Questions

What supports and programs are available in Ontario for workers who do not qualify for EI or other standardized provincial programs?

How can innovative projects, such as the Baker/Patissier Pre-Apprenticeship program, be supported and implemented more broadly to build programs across Ontario that maximize women’s employability?

Will Employment Ontario have a complete range of programs and services for Ontarians to achieve their full employment potential?

Get Involved

Regional Meetings in Spring 2007

• ACTEW is working with member agencies and Local Boards across the province to set up LMDA and information-sharing meetings in Hamilton, Ottawa, Thunder Bay, and Grand Erie in the Spring of 2007. Attend a meeting or set one up in your region. > more

March Presentation at Jobs and Justice Conference, Vancouver

Visit our web site to learn more about Putting Women in the Picture