Work-Sharing

Work-Sharing is an adjustment program designed to help employers and employees avoid temporary layoffs when there is a reduction in the normal level of business activity that is beyond the control of the employer. The measure provides income support to employees eligible for Employment Insurance benefits who work a temporarily reduced work week while their employer recovers.

Work-Sharing agreements must be agreed upon by both employee and employer representatives, and approved by Service Canada.

Work-Sharing is about:

  • helping employers retain skilled employees and avoid the costly process of recruiting and training new employees when business returns to normal levels; and
  • helping employees maintain their skills and job by supplementing their wages with Employment Insurance benefits for the days they are not working.

A Work-Sharing brochure is also available for employers to review.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible employers must:

  • be a publicly-held company, a private business or a not-for-profit organization;
  • have been in year-round business in Canada for at least two years;
  • demonstrate a recent decrease in business activity of approximately 10%;
  • demonstrate that the work shortage is temporary and beyond their control;
  • submit and implement a recovery plan designed to return the Work-Sharing unit(s) to normal working hours by the end of the Work-Sharing agreement;
  • not be undergoing a labour dispute; and,
  • have the agreement of the union (if applicable) and employees.

Eligible employees must:

  • be "core staff" (year-round permanent full-time or part-time employees who are required to carry out the day-to-day functions of the business);
  • be eligible to receive regular Employment Insurance benefits; and,
  • agree to a reduction of their normal working hours in order to share the available work.

A minimum of two employees is required for a Work-Sharing agreement.

Duration

The initial duration of a Work-Sharing agreement must be between a minimum of 6 consecutive weeks and a maximum of 26 consecutive weeks. Employers may request an extension of up to 12 weeks. Extensions are not automatic; all requests for an extension must be assessed and approved by Service Canada.

Additional Temporary Work-Sharing Extension:

The temporary Work-Sharing measure made available under Budget 2011 has been extended under the 2011 Fiscal Update, providing an additional 16 weeks to employers with an active, new, or recently ended agreement. These extensions must end no later than October 27, 2012.

How to apply for Work-Sharing

Employers must complete and submit the following documentation:

  • Application for a Work-Sharing agreement;
  • Attachment A (available in HTML, PDF and Excel format) - list of all employees who will be participating in Work-Sharing signed by each non-union employee and the employee and/or union representative; and
  • Recovery plan template (available in HTML and Word).

Completed applications (including the recovery plan template and Attachment A) must be submitted a minimum of 30 days prior to the requested start date. All agreements start on a Sunday.

All applications are subject to an assessment and approval process by Service Canada.

Where to apply for Work-Sharing

Employers are instructed to submit their completed applications in-person at a local Service Canada Centre or by mail to the following addresses:

Atlantic Provinces

Applications can be mailed to your local Service Canada Centre.

Quebec

  • Laval, Laurentides and Lanaudière Regions
    Saint-Jérôme Service Canada Centre
    339 Jean-Paul-Hogue Boulevard, Suite 100
    Saint-Jérôme, QC J7Z 7A5
  • Outaouais Region
    Hull-Aylmer (Gatineau) Service Canada Centre
    920 Saint-Joseph Boulevard
    Gatineau, QC J8Z 1S9
  • Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec Regions
    Rouyn-Noranda Service Canada Centre
    Réal Caouette Building, Suite 300
    151 du Lac Avenue
    Rouyn-Noranda, QC J9X 6C3
  • Québec and Chaudière-Appalaches Regions
    Service Canada Office
    1305 du Blizzard Street
    Québec, QC G2K 0A1
  • Montréal Region
    Villeray (Montréal) Service Canada Centre
    1415 Jarry Street East, Suite 300
    Montréal, QC H2E 3B2
  • Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Côte-Nord, Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, Montérégie, Centre-du-Québec, Mauricie, and Estrie Regions
    Frédérica-Giroux Building
    Gaspé Service Canada Centre
    98 de la Reine Street
    Gaspé, QC G4X 2V4

Ontario

  • Ontario Work-Sharing Centre of Specialization
    430 Courtneypark Drive East
    2nd floor
    Mississauga, ON  L5T 2S5
    Phone: 1-866-945-7342

Manitoba and Saskatchewan

  • Winnipeg
    Winnipeg North-East Service Canada Centre
    Work-Sharing - Program Unit
    1122 Henderson Hwy
    Winnipeg, MB  R2G 1L1
  • All of Manitoba, except for Winnipeg
    Brandon Service Canada Centre
    Work-Sharing - Program Unit
    2nd Floor-1039 Princess Avenue
    Brandon, MB  R7A 6E2
  • Saskatchewan
    Saskatoon Service Canada Centre
    Work-Sharing - Program Unit
    101-22nd St. East
    Saskatoon, SK  S7K 0E2

Alberta, British Columbia and the Territories

  • Greater Vancouver and Central Alberta
    Vancouver Service Canada Centre
    125 10th Avenue East
    Vancouver, BC  V5T 1Z3
    Phone: 1-866-881-0691
  • Northern British Columbia and Northern Alberta (including Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut)
    Prince George Service Canada Centre
    1363 4th Avenue
    Prince George, BC  V2L 3J6
  • Interior British Columbia and Southern Alberta
    Kelowna Service Canada Centre
    471 Queensway Avenue, Suite 106
    Kelowna, BC  V1Y 6S5
  • Vancouver Island and Edmonton
    Victoria Service Canada Centre
    595 Pandora Avenue
    Victoria, BC  V8W 1N5

For more information on the Work-Sharing program employers and employees across Canada may call the following toll-free number: 1-866-891-5319 (TTY: 1-800-926-9105)

Work-Sharing Applicant Guide

The Work-Sharing Applicant Guide contains important information for employers and employees. It includes:

  • the eligibility criteria;
  • step-by-step instructions for completing the Work-Sharing application;
  • a description of the assessment and approval processes; and
  • an employee annex.

Expected Work Reduction and Utilization Report

Work-Sharing agreements must include a reduction in work activity between a minimum of 10% of the employees' regular work schedule and a maximum of 60% (i.e. one half day to three days).

Employers who enter into a Work-Sharing agreement must provide Service Canada with an Enrolment Sheet which lists all participants and their Social Insurance Numbers.  The employer must also complete and submit to Service Canada a weekly Utilization Report detailing the number of hours worked by each employee participating in Work-Sharing.

For more information:

More information for employers and employees