Connecting Canadians with Available Jobs
The Connecting Canadians with Available Jobs (CCAJ) initiative helps unemployed people receiving Employment Insurance (EI) regular or fishing benefits stay connected with available jobs that match their skills and are in their local area, and provides them with the additional support to help them find work.
Claimant Categories
Through the Connecting Canadians with Available Jobs (CCAJ) initiative you will be categorized based on your previous use of Employment Insurance (EI) regular or fishing benefits and your contributions to the EI program. What is considered suitable employment and the extent to which you must expand the scope of your job search will be based on your claimant category.
Long-tenured worker
You are considered a long-tenured worker if:
You are an EI regular or fishing benefits claimant and you have paid at least 30% of the annual maximum EI premium in at least seven of the past ten years and, over the last five years, you have received 35 weeks or less of EI regular and/or fishing benefits.
This means:
- For the first 18 weeks of your EI claim, you will be required to search for a job within your usual occupationFootnote 1 and at a similar wage, starting at 90% of your previous wage.
- After 18 weeks, you will be required to expand your job search to jobs similar to the job you normally performFootnote 2 and accept wages starting at 80% of your previous wage, but no lower than the minimum wage rate in the province or territory where the employment is offered.
Frequent claimant
You are considered a frequent claimant if:
You are an EI regular or fishing benefits claimant and you have had three or more claims for EI regular and/or fishing benefits and received over 60 weeks of benefits in the past five years.
This means:
- For the first six weeks of your EI claim, you will be required to search for a job that is similar to the job you normally performFootnote 2 and accept wages starting at 80% of your previous wage, but no lower than the minimum wage rate in the province or territory where the employment is offered.
- Starting at week seven of your claim, you will be required to expand your job search to include any work you are qualified to performFootnote 3 (with on-the-job training if required) and to accept wages starting at 70% of your previous wage, but no lower than the minimum wage rate in the province or territory where the employment is offered.
Occasional claimant
You are considered an occasional claimant if:
You are an EI regular or fishing benefits claimant and you do not fit in the long-tenured worker or frequent claimant categories defined above.
This means:
- For the first six weeks of your EI claim, you will be able to limit your search for a job to your usual occupationFootnote 1 and wage (at least 90% of your previous wage), but no lower than the minimum wage rate in the province or territory where the employment is offered.
- Starting at week seven of your claim, you will be required to search for jobs similar to the job you normally performFootnote 2 with wages at 80% of your previous wage, but no lower than the minimum wage rate in the province or territory where the employment is offered.
- After 18 weeks of your EI claim, you will be required to further expand your job search to include any work you are qualified to performFootnote 3 (with on-the-job training, if required) and to accept wages starting at 70% of your previous wage, but not lower than the minimum wage rate in the province or territory where the employment is offered.
To help you determine the claimant category you fit into, see the examples of individual situations as well as myths and facts.
Note: Union Hiring Halls
Union hiring halls will remain a part of your reasonable job search effort. You can restrict your job search efforts to union hiring halls only during the weeks when you are required to seek suitable employment opportunities within your same occupationFootnote 1.
Examples
If you are a long tenured-worker you may restrict your job search efforts to your membership in a union hiring hall for the first 18 weeks of your claim.
If you are an occasional claimant you may restrict your job search efforts to your membership in a union hiring hall for the first six weeks of your claim.
If you are a frequent claimant you cannot restrict your job search efforts to your membership in a union hiring hall at any time during your claim.