Can You Test Drive A New Job While You Are Collecting EI or CRB?

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Blog Updated February 22nd, 2021:

The federal government has announced that the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) will be extended by an additional 12 weeks, and the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) by the same amount. Click here for more information.

Are you wondering if you should continue to take assignments with ABL while you are collecting EI (Employment Insurance)? We’ve got great news: YES YOU CAN!

If you have you transitioned from the CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit) to the expanded EI (Employment Insurance) or CRB (Canada Recovery Benefit), working part time with a staffing service like ABL Employment lets you add to your income without affecting your eligibility to claim these benefits. 

These expanded programs do require that you are actively looking for work, so applying and completing the registration process at ABL also assists in meeting that requirement. 

Take the first step and apply today to the job postings on our website, enter your email address and attach your resume.  If you’ve already applied to ABL, entering your email address at this link (no need to upload your resume again) will indicate your interest in reactivating your file!  

What could this arrangement look like?

Here’s an example:

John was laid off when the store where he worked shut down. His weekly earnings at the store were $600, so his weekly EI benefit rate at 55% of his wages would be less than the new minimum of $500 per week so he would receive that $500 per week minimum benefit.

He has accepted a assignment and is working part time with ABL Employment at a warehouse, where he works 20 hours per week and earns $300 per week.

As a result, his $500 in EI benefits are reduced by $150 or 50 cents for every dollar he earns at the ABL assignment ($300 ÷ 2 = $150). This brings his total EI benefit to $350 ($500 – $150 = $350) AND, combined with the $300 from ABL, has a gross weekly income of $650.00.  Note that both EI and ABL wages are considered taxable income. 

*note that this is one example and is not necessarily representative of all situations…please see Service Canada site for more details.

 

The Bottom Line:

Switching to the new CRB or the updated EI program means that you can still do some work while collecting benefits. 

This is a great way to test-drive a new job on a part-time basis before you decide to make the leap back into full-time employment, without jeopardizing your eligibility for benefits. It could even help you extend your eligibility timeframe!

Find out if you qualify for the expanded EI programs by following this link:

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/feds-extending-canada-recovery-benefit-eligibility-by-12-weeks-1.5315905 

https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2020/08/supporting-canadians-through-the-next-phase-of-the-economy-re-opening-increased-access-to-ei-and-recovery-benefits.html

References And Further Reading:

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application/transition/ei-questions.html

https://globalnews.ca/news/7291374/after-cerb-exhausted-ei-benefits/

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