Mr. Speaker, a lot of assumptions have been made as to what constitutes suitable employment in the changes made to employment insurance.
The current legislation lacks clarity with respect to what constitutes “suitable employment” and what is meant by “reasonable job search”.
Right now, the Employment Insurance Act merely states the claimants are obligated to search for and accept suitable employment but does not say what this means. The act only defines what is not suitable employment.
This spring, the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development outlined several points that would be contained in the upcoming regulations on this matter.
Suitable employment would be based upon six points, two of which would vary according to the claimant's EI history and duration of the claim.
The first point is personal circumstances. People receiving EI would not have to accept work if they have health problems that would prevent them from taking a specific job; if they have family obligations that would prevent them from working at certain times of the day; if they have limited transportation options, in terms of commuting to and from work; or if they are not physically capable of performing the work.
The second point is working conditions. The job offered must not be vacant due to a strike, lockout or other labour dispute.
The third point is based upon hours worked and the type of work to be done, including responsibilities, tasks, wages and experience.
The fourth point is commuting time. The workplace must be within a one-hour commute or a standard commuting time for the region.
The fifth point is based upon the type of work. The sixth point would focus on hourly wages. These last two criteria would vary, based upon the claimant's EI history and the duration of the claim.
In determining the criteria, claimants would be placed in one of three categories: long-tenured workers who, after 18 weeks, would be required to expand their job search to jobs similar to the one they normally perform and accept wages starting at 80% of their previously hourly wage; frequent claimants who, after 7 weeks, would be required to accept wages starting at 70% of their previous hourly wage; and occasional claimants who, after 18 weeks, would be required to expand their job search to include any work they are qualified to perform, with wages starting at 70% of their previous salary but not below the prevailing minimum wage.
It is important to know that these changes would provide clarity for Canadians as to what would constitute suitable employment.
As we face unprecedented labour and skills shortages, it is important that the employment insurance program work most effectively for Canadians.
Our government's top priority is the economy, and we are proud to have seen more than 820,000 net new jobs created since the end of the economic recession.
At the same time, we recognize there are Canadians who are having difficulty finding work, particularly in the off-season in parts of the country where much of the economy is based upon seasonal industries. Our government is working to help these Canadians find jobs in their local area, appropriate to their qualifications. For those who are unable to find employment, employment insurance would be there for them, as it always has been.