People new to the workforce living in cities like Toronto and Vancouver are most likely to have to take a job they don’t want under changes to the country’s employment insurance program, a report released Tuesday says.
A policy brief by the University of Toronto’s Mowat Centresays it’s “misleading” that much of the public debate around EI reform has focused on the negative impact the changes could have in rural and Atlantic Canada, where many industries rely on seasonal workers.
There aren’t enough jobs in rural Canada for many people to be forced to take a job they don’t like under the new rules, the brief says.
But frequent EI claimants in places with lower unemployment levels — like immigrants and young people living in big cities — may find themselves taking a job that isn’t at the top of their lists.
“There are jobs available where such individuals live and they would be compelled to take them (under the new rules).”
The federal government recently passed several EI reforms in its omnibus budget bill which will push many on EI back into the workforce. The new rules are expected to take effect early next year.
The changes include a rule saying Canadians on EI must look for a job “every day they receive benefits.”
Nancy Schaefer, president of Youth Employment Services, said many of the young people who come to her organization looking for work don’t qualify for EI and won’t be affected by the changes.
“Most of them haven’t worked long enough to get EI and most of them don’t want to go on EI anyway. They want to get another job right away.”
The Toronto-based job search service works with about 4,000 people each year aged between 15 and 29. Only about 4 per cent of those people are on EI when they come for help.
But the young people who are on EI and are forced to take a job outside their chosen field aren’t likely to be happy about it, Schaefer said.
Many have invested a lot of time, money and “heart and soul” in pursuing a career.
“Young people, especially if they have good degrees and good training, they don’t just want to take anything,” she said.
Arthur Sweetman, a labour economist at McMaster University, said being required to take a job you don’t like doesn’t necessarily mean you have to stop looking for a better one.
“For most people, as long as the job is broadly similar to the one you’re looking for, the employed search can actually be a good thing.”
Many more of the young people Schaefer helps would qualify for EI if they lived in a place with more unemployment, Sweetman added.
The government’s EI system has 58 economic regions. People living in areas with little unemployment have to work longer to qualify for EI than those in places with high unemployment.
The Mowat Centre has said the system is unequal for provinces like Ontario and in Tuesday’s policy brief, it pushed for further reforms to the EI system.
The federal government didn’t respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Original Article
Source: the star
Author: Karissa Donkin
A policy brief by the University of Toronto’s Mowat Centresays it’s “misleading” that much of the public debate around EI reform has focused on the negative impact the changes could have in rural and Atlantic Canada, where many industries rely on seasonal workers.
There aren’t enough jobs in rural Canada for many people to be forced to take a job they don’t like under the new rules, the brief says.
But frequent EI claimants in places with lower unemployment levels — like immigrants and young people living in big cities — may find themselves taking a job that isn’t at the top of their lists.
“There are jobs available where such individuals live and they would be compelled to take them (under the new rules).”
The federal government recently passed several EI reforms in its omnibus budget bill which will push many on EI back into the workforce. The new rules are expected to take effect early next year.
The changes include a rule saying Canadians on EI must look for a job “every day they receive benefits.”
Nancy Schaefer, president of Youth Employment Services, said many of the young people who come to her organization looking for work don’t qualify for EI and won’t be affected by the changes.
“Most of them haven’t worked long enough to get EI and most of them don’t want to go on EI anyway. They want to get another job right away.”
The Toronto-based job search service works with about 4,000 people each year aged between 15 and 29. Only about 4 per cent of those people are on EI when they come for help.
But the young people who are on EI and are forced to take a job outside their chosen field aren’t likely to be happy about it, Schaefer said.
Many have invested a lot of time, money and “heart and soul” in pursuing a career.
“Young people, especially if they have good degrees and good training, they don’t just want to take anything,” she said.
Arthur Sweetman, a labour economist at McMaster University, said being required to take a job you don’t like doesn’t necessarily mean you have to stop looking for a better one.
“For most people, as long as the job is broadly similar to the one you’re looking for, the employed search can actually be a good thing.”
Many more of the young people Schaefer helps would qualify for EI if they lived in a place with more unemployment, Sweetman added.
The government’s EI system has 58 economic regions. People living in areas with little unemployment have to work longer to qualify for EI than those in places with high unemployment.
The Mowat Centre has said the system is unequal for provinces like Ontario and in Tuesday’s policy brief, it pushed for further reforms to the EI system.
The federal government didn’t respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Source: the star
Author: Karissa Donkin
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