employment insurance

Yesterday the federal government announced a "Small Business Job Credit." The idea is that small businesses will have a portion of what they paid in EI refunded to them, as a "job-creation strategy."

The crisis in EI is forever falling on deaf ears. Even though only 37.5 per cent of unemployed workers are receiving EI, politicians feel that the problem with EI is not access, but high premiums.

While we may consider EI a strong social support system, its current construction makes it particularly regressive for Canada's lowest-income families.

There were two announcements this week around employment insurance -- both framed as "being more responsive to local labour market conditions."

A new report from the PBO suggests that the Conservatives will balance the budget ahead of schedule. But, and it's a big but, if there were no EI surplus, there would be no balanced budget in 2016.

Even when workers are employed full time, many are vulnerable to temporary layoffs, yet no longer qualify for benefits.

Labour news summary from Sept. 11 to Sept. 23