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Employment and Social Development Canada’s 2026 to 2027 Departmental Plan

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List of figures

List of tables

At a glance

This departmental plan details Employment and Social Development Canada's priorities, plans, and associated costs for the upcoming three fiscal years.

These plans align with the priorities outlined in Employment and Social Development Canada's mandate, role and operating context.

Comprehensive Expenditure Review

The government is committed to restraining the growth of day-to-day operational spending to make investments that will grow the economy and benefit Canadians. As part of meeting this commitment, Employment and Social Development Canada is planning the following spending reductions:

It is anticipated that these spending reductions, combined with other departmental savings efforts, will involve a decrease of approximately 1,500 full-time equivalents from 2026-27 to 2028-29.

Employment and Social Development Canada will achieve these reductions by doing the following:

The figures in this departmental plan reflect these reductions.

Key priorities

Employment and Social Development Canada identified the following key priorities for 2026-27:

Highlights for Employment and Social Development Canada in 2026-27

We are focused on serving Canadians and meeting their diverse needs while delivering accessible, efficient, and high-quality experiences. This year we will:

In 2026-27, total gross planned spending (including internal services) for Employment and Social Development Canada is $218.76 billion and total planned full-time equivalent staff (including internal services) is 30,945.

Summary of planned results

The following provides a summary of the results the department plans to achieve in 2026-27 under its main areas of activity, called "core responsibilities."

Core responsibility 1: Social Development

The Foundation for Black Communities will keep managing the Black-led Philanthropic Endowment Fund to support Black-led, Black-serving, and Black-focused organizations. Funding will be provided for initiatives that meet needs in Black communities, helping to improve job opportunities, food security, health services, and social integration for Black Canadians.

Our Equitable Access to Reading Program will continue to fund groups to create print materials in alternate formats to help persons with disabilities. The aim is to produce at least 1,000 new alternate format reading materials per $1 million in funding, resulting in at least 18,000 new products for persons with print disabilities by March 31, 2027.

We'll keep working with provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners to build and maintain a Canada-wide early learning and child care system. This will provide families in Canada with access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive Early Learning and Child Care System for their children, while making life more affordable and allowing parents greater opportunities to pursue work or education.

More information about Social Development can be found in the full plan.

Core responsibility 2: Pensions and Benefits

In addition, we'll provide income support to Canadians who cannot work due to severe and prolonged disability through Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPPD) benefits. We'll continue to improve the experience for those applying for and receiving CPPD Benefits, and this year, we'll make improvements for applicants and for the medical professionals who provide medical details on behalf of their applicants.

More information about Pensions and Benefits can be found in the full plan.

Core responsibility 3: Learning, Skills Development and Employment

This year, we will support over 5,000 workers in gaining new skills for jobs in the low-carbon economy through the Sustainable Jobs Training Fund, part of the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program. This training will help them develop the skills needed for jobs focused on low-carbon energy and carbon management, green buildings and retrofits, as well as electric vehicle maintenance and charging infrastructure.

We'll also work with Indigenous partners to co-develop and complete the first evaluation of the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training (ISET) Program. The ISET program funds Indigenous governments and organizations to design and deliver culturally-relevant skills training and employment supports that respond to local labour market needs. Through these efforts, we'll support more than 40,000 Indigenous people, and help at least 16,500 to find jobs.

We'll continue to ensure that the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is designed and administered as a measure of last resort and a temporary measure to be used to fill critical employment gaps, only when qualified Canadians and permanent residents are not able to fill job vacancies. In doing so, we will also continue to support the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan commitment to reduce temporary resident levels to less than 5% of Canada's population by the end of 2027.

Support will continue for workers affected by economic uncertainty, including tariffs. Some Employment Insurance (EI) and Work-Sharing temporary measures introduced in 2025 to support workers and employers affected by tariffs will continue into 2026-27. These include waiving the one-week waiting period and suspending the rules around separation monies, like severance pay, as well as providing 20 additional weeks of EI regular benefits for long-tenured workers. In addition, starting in winter 2026 and continuing to end of March 2027, a new tariff-response measure will be implemented via a new grant to Work-Sharing employers that support worker retention and income top-ups to employees who participate in training. while also committing to offer training to their workers.

The Supports for Student Learning Program funds youth-serving organizations to help reduce barriers to education. In 2026-27, the program will reach about 15,000 equity-deserving learners at risk of becoming disengaged from education and/or at risk of becoming NEET (not in employment, education or training). The supports provided are proven to increase learners' educational engagement, academic achievement, access and transition to post-secondary education, training or employment.

In addition, up to 8,000 service opportunities will be created through the Canada Service Corps. These opportunities will help youth build useful skills and gain experience while supporting their communities.

We'll continue to inform primary caregivers about their child's Canada Learning Bond eligibility through regular mailings and to raise awareness of the benefits of early education savings in Registered Education Savings Plans.

Further, the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program will provide financial assistance to more than 700,000 post-secondary students through non-repayable Canada Student Grants and interest-free Canada Student Loans.

More information about Learning, Skills Development and Employment can be found in the full plan.

Core responsibility 4: Working Conditions and Workplace Relations

In 2026, we'll review our regulations to support the Government of Canada's goal of reducing regulatory red tape. This will create a more efficient regulatory environment that minimizes burdens while maintaining essential protections. A few examples of this work include streamlining Health and Safety regulations and related reporting requirements, and improving the consistency of workplace inspection regimes.

Workers will benefit from our continued review of the Administrative Monetary Penalties regime under the Canada Labour Code. We'll review labour standards and occupational health and safety provisions and consider increases to penalties, as stated in Budget 2025. Increasing penalty amounts under the regime, and other potential changes, will require stakeholder engagement, expected to take place in 2026.

More information about Working Conditions and Workplace Relations can be found in the full plan.

Core responsibility 5: Information Delivery and Services to Other Departments

Our Community Outreach and Liaison Services will build stronger relationships with Indigenous communities and hard-to-reach populations to make sure that people facing barriers can access services they need more easily. We'll hold in-person and virtual engagements in select communities to make sure those who are underserved get the information needed to easily access services.

We'll expand tools so departments can deliver better services to Canadians on Canada.ca and continue to support 43 departments whose service information is hosted on Canada.ca, 81 federal departments and agencies in delivering information through social media, and 84 through the Government of Canada digital newsroom.

We’ll continue to work closely with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada to simplify the passport application process while maintaining program security, integrity, and service standards.

In addition, we'll continue to partner with other government departments. Our partnerships will continue with Health Canada to support their delivery of the Canada Dental Care Plan and with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada on the use of digital tools and automation to make passport applications faster and more secure.

More information about Information Delivery and Services to Other Departments can be found in the full plan.

For complete information on Employment and Social Development Canada's total planned spending and human resources, read the Planned spending and human resources section of the full plan.

Updates to Departmental Results Framework

This Departmental Plan is ESDC's first since updating its Departmental Results Framework (DRF) in 2025. The DRF is the foundation of departmental planning, reporting, and accountability: it records the enduring mandate of our department, structures our public reporting, and tracks how we are achieving goals and delivering results for Canadians.

In updating our DRF, we made several important changes to reflect the full scope of our mandate and support strategic decision-making. These changes will help us improve our performance measurement that-in turn- will promote better program management and results. These include:

From the Minister

I am pleased to present Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)'s 2026 to 2027 Departmental Plan.

This year brings new challenges, but also a chance to build a stronger, more inclusive Canada. As labour market shift, affordability pressures grow, and global uncertainty transform how we live, the Government of Canada is focused on building a strong and resilient economy; one that protects Canadians through change while empowering them to adapt and thrive, and positions our country for long-term prosperity.

ESDC is the heartbeat of this work. Together, we are helping Canadians connect to good jobs and develop the skills needed in a changing economy. These efforts support young people beginning their careers, create pathways for local talent and internationally trained professionals to contribute their expertise, and ensure that Canadians facing temporary unemployment get the support they need. We are strengthening the pathways to better careers and workplaces by advancing skilled trades, supporting emerging sectors, unleashing labour mobility and expanding opportunities for under-represented groups; ensuring jobseekers, workers and employers are better positioned to seize the opportunities ahead. Alongside these efforts, we continue to protect workers by modernizing labour protections and fostering, safe, fair and cooperative labour relations in federally regulated sectors.

Canadians work hard to support their families and deserve a fair chance to succeed at every stage of life. This is why we are investing in affordable early learning and child care, including Indigenous‑led programs, and delivering on our promise to make the National School Food Program permanent. These initiatives give every child a fair start in life, help more parents pursue work or education, and lower costs for families. Canadians also deserve to retire with dignity, and our ongoing initiatives reinforce income security for seniors and their loved ones, providing greater stability and peace of mind as life's circumstances change. These commitments reflect a core belief: Canada is at its strongest when everyone can participate and succeed.

Fairness, accessibility, and inclusion remain central to our approach to build Canada strong. By fostering inclusive workplaces, improving accessible service delivery, and targeting investments to empower Black communities and improve financial security for Canadians with disabilities, we are advancing our shared vision of a barrier-free Canada.

Through the Comprehensive Expenditure Review, ESDC is focusing resources to help Canadians get the supports and services they need. ESDC remains committed to continuing to deliver high‑quality, efficient services, while sharpening our focus on core priorities. We will harness the benefits of digital technology while safeguarding personal information. We will make sure all the ways Canadians connect with ESDC-from our websites, to call centres, to our Service Canada offices-work together better. And we will streamline internal processes and procedures to redirect time and effort toward what matters most: better serving Canadians.

Partnerships are central to our success. Working hand in hand with provinces, territories, Indigenous and community partners and stakeholders strengthens our ability to respond to emerging needs and reflects our shared commitment to supporting Canadians through change.

Together, we are building a country that is resilient, inclusive and stands ready for the future.

The Honourable Patty Hajdu

Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario

Service Excellence

We are focused on serving Canadians and meeting their diverse needs. Part of how we do this is by delivering accessible, efficient, and high-quality experiences across all channels: in person, online, telephone and mail. In 2026-27, we are focusing on three priorities:

1. Modernizing service delivery

We'll use digital innovations, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and data insights to serve Canadians faster and with greater accuracy. We’ll ensure responsible and ethical use of these tools and will protect the privacy of Canadians.

2. Collaborating with Canadians to build better services

We'll work with Canadians to understand how we can improve accessibility, responsiveness, and efficiency for a better client experience. This year we're focused on:

3. Improving access to services

We are addressing barriers faced by marginalized and underserved populations to reduce inequities and increase benefit uptake by:

Service Canada Regional Service Delivery

Service Canada offices-in partnership with provinces, territories, municipalities, and communities- provide essential services across the country and are focused on adapting to clients' local needs. Below, we highlight activities we will pursue this year:

Western Canada and Territories Region

Service to Indigenous peoples
Partnering with provinces/territories or community organizations to improve service delivery

Ontario Region

Services to Indigenous peoples
Partnering with provinces/territories or community organizations to improve service delivery

Québec Region

Services to Indigenous peoples
Partnering with provinces/territories or community organizations to improve service delivery

Atlantic Region

Service to Indigenous peoples
Partnering with provinces/territories or community organizations to improve service delivery
Figure 1: The map of Canada indicates the number of points of service, by type, in each of the 4 administrative regions of Service Canada, as of January 1, 2026
Map of Canada indicating the number of point of service by type in the 4 administrative regions of Service Canada. Text version follows below
Text description of figure 1
  • Service Canada Centres:
    • Western Canada and Territories: 98
    • Ontario: 87
    • Québec: 75
    • Atlantic: 56
    • Total: 316
  • Scheduled Outreach Sites:
    • Western Canada and Territories: 128
    • Ontario: 71
    • Québec: 18
    • Atlantic: 29
    • Total: 246
  • Service Canada Centres - Passport Services :
    • Western Canada and Territories: 5
    • Ontario: 9
    • Québec: 4
    • Total: 18
  • Service Delivery Partner Sites:
    • Western Canada and Territories: 15
    • Total: 15

Plans to deliver on core responsibilities and internal services

Core responsibilities and internal services

Core responsibility 1: Social Development

In this section

Description

Increase inclusion and opportunities for Canadians to participate in their communities.

Quality of life impacts

Programs under this core responsibility contribute to the following Quality of Life Framework for Canada domains and indicators:

Domain - Society (Indicators - Accessible environments, Indigenous languages, Shared Values, Sense of belonging to the local community, Volunteering) through activities that help remove barriers and provide racialized communities, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and families with children, opportunities to participate in their communities, and support local organizations in addressing the needs of these groups

Domain - Prosperity (Indicators - Early learning and child care, Making ends meet, Financial well-being, Protection from income shocks) through activities that increase the availability of affordable child care and support Indigenous groups to provide child care, support food security, and reduce poverty

Domain - Good Governance (Indicator - Confidence in institutions), through activities that focus on the Sustainable Development Goals, innovative projects and research that strengthen the programs of the department and the Government of Canada

Indicators, results and targets

This section presents details on the department's indicators, the actual results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates for Social Development. Details are presented by departmental result.

Table 1: Canadians and communities are empowered to address social issues
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of Canadians who feel a sense of belonging in their local community (Quality of Life) 2022-23: 49.9%1
2023-24: 46.1%1
2024-25: 51.9%1		 Maintain or increase year over year March 2027
Number of organizations funded or financed that support Canadians to address social issues 2022-23: not applicable2
2023-24: not applicable2
2024-25: not applicable2		 At least 4,0603 March 2027
Table 2: Persons with disabilities experience increased community participation, accessibility and social inclusion
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of Canadians with a disability who feel a sense of belonging in their local community (Quality of Life) 2022-23: 42.5%
2023-24: not available1
2024-25: 44.3%		 Maintain or increase year over year March 2027
Percentage of persons with a disability, over age 15, who have experienced at least one barrier 2022-23: 71.9%
2023-24: not available2
2024-25: not available2		 Decrease over time Next release of survey data (estimated 2027-2028)
Number of community spaces and workplaces that are more accessible 2022-23: 1,048
2023-24: 437
2024-25: 423		 At least 139 March 2027
Table 3: Children and their families have the support and resources needed to promote well-being and economic participation
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of parents/guardians who did not access childcare because of affordability 2022-23: 23.6%
2023-24: 23.6%
2024-25: not available1		 Decrease year over year March 2027
Consumer Price Index - Child Care Services 2022-23: 168
2023-24: 130
2024-25: 127.5		 Maintain or decrease year over year March 2027
Women's Labour Force participation (core-aged women with children 0-5) 2022-23: 78.89%
2023-24: 79.63%
2024-25: 79.14%		 Between 75%-80% March 2027
Percentage of children aged 0 to 5 years who use/participate in early learning and child care 2022-23: 51.6%
2023-24: 56.1%
2024-25: not available1		 Between 55%-60% March 2027
Percentage of children and youth under 18 experiencing food insecurity (Quality of Life) 2022-23: 28.4%
2023-24: 32.9%
2024-25: not available2		 Decrease year over year March 2027
Percentage of schools, within each PT, offering one or more type(s) of school food programming 2022-23: not applicable3
2023-24: not applicable3
2024-25: not applicable3		 At least 81% March 2027
Table 4: Clients receive high quality, timely and efficient services that meet their needs (Social development)
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of targets met for the published service standards of Social Development programs1 2022-23: 3 of 3
2023-24: 2 of 3
2024-25: 2 of 3		 100% (3 out of 3 targets met) March 2027
Percentage of client organizations satisfied with their interactions with the programs 2022-23: 82.33%
2023-24: 76.30%
2024-25: 78.77%		 78% March 2027

Additional information on the detailed results and performance information for Employment and Social Development Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

The following section describes the planned results for Social Development in 2026-27.

Canadians and communities are empowered to address social issues

In 2026-27, the Social Finance Fund (part of the Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy) will continue to help Social Purpose Organizations (SPOs) by disbursing about $60 million to funding recipients to make social finance investments and undertake market-building activities. This funding supports SPOs to create positive social and environmental impacts for Canadians.

Through the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative, funding will continue for Black-led and Black-serving organizations so they can support projects for their communities. This will help eliminate systemic barriers to ensure Black voices are included in decisions that affect their lives.

This year, we will provide approximately $2 million to the Canadian Institute for People of Afrikan Ancestry, managed by Caribbean African Canadian Social Services. This will allow for community engagement and outreach, research, and policy recommendations. The Institute's main objectives are to combat systemic racism and improve the social and economic well-being of Black communities in Canada.

The Foundation for Black Communities will keep managing the Black-led Philanthropic Endowment Fund to support Black-led, Black-serving, and Black-focused organizations. Flexible one-year funding will be provided for initiatives that meet pressing needs in Black communities. Over the next 8 years, this investment will improve job opportunities, food security, health services, and social integration for Black Canadians.

Volunteer Canada is carrying out a $666,010, four-year project funded through the Social Development Partnerships Program - Children and Families. The project will help not-for-profit organizations engage with Canadian donors and volunteers by raising awareness, understanding and access to data related to giving and volunteering.

The New Horizons for Seniors Program was highlighted in Budget 2025 as a program that empowers seniors in their communities. Through this program, we'll continue to provide $70 million annually to Community-Based and Pan-Canadian projects that engage seniors in their communities while reducing the detrimental effects of isolation on their well-being.

We'll continue to lead Canada's implementation of the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by publishing Canada's 2026 Annual Report on the 2030 Agenda and SDGs. Additionally, we'll support Canada's participation at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July 2026.

Persons with disabilities experience increased community participation, accessibility and social inclusion

We'll advance the development of digital accessibility regulations under the Accessible Canada Act (ACA), with a focus on accessibility of digital technologies, including Artificial Intelligence. This will help persons with disabilities get fair access to jobs, programs and services. We will continue to evaluate existing and emerging standards for potential adoption into regulations to support systemic change in priority areas under the ACA. These actions will contribute to a barrier-free Canada, supporting the economic and social inclusion of persons with disabilities.

Through the Accessible Canada Fund, we'll support community-led projects that promote the social inclusion and engagement of persons with disabilities in communities and workplaces across Canada, and enable their participation in the implementation of the ACA. This includes funding 19 two-year projects through the National AccessAbility Week stream to raise awareness and promote accessibility and disability inclusion. We'll also continue to fund up to 6 projects under the Partnerships stream to build skills, capacity and create partnerships within the disability community and other sectors and help grow and sustain these projects beyond federal funding.

We'll continue engaging Indigenous communities, including by supporting national Indigenous organizations as they engage their communities, to better understand accessibility needs and explore potential aspects of distinctions-based accessibility legislation. This aligns with the Government of Canada's commitment to enhance accessibility for Indigenous persons with disabilities and to further actions under the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan.

We plan to release the next version of the Federal Data and Measurement Strategy for Accessibility (2027-2032). This strategy will outline key areas to track progress in removing barriers to accessibility over time.

Projects funded through the Enhancing Access to Professional Sign Language interpretation initiative will continue until March 31, 2027. These projects will increase the number of individuals entering the interpretation field, boost graduation rates from sign language interpretation programs and enhance the skills of current interpreters.

Through the Enabling Accessibility Fund, we will continue to fund organizations to increase accessibility for persons with disabilities in communities and workplaces. The aim is to fund 139 projects by the end of the year, supporting organizations to complete projects such as constructing ramps, installing automatic doors, and building accessible playgrounds.

Through the Equitable Access to Reading Program we will continue to fund groups to create print materials in alternate formats to help persons with disabilities. The aim is to produce at least 1,000 new alternate format reading materials per $1 million in funding, resulting in at least 18,000 new products for persons with print disabilities by March 31, 2027.

We'll keep working to reduce barriers to social inclusion through the Disability Benefits Navigation program (DBN). We'll continue to fund community organizations to provide services that help people understand and access federal, provincial, and territorial programs for Canadians with disabilities, including the Canada Disability Benefit.

Children and their families have the support and resources needed to promote well-being and economic participation

We'll keep working with provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners to build and maintain a Canada-wide early learning and child care system (ELCC). Extensions to the Canada-wide agreements with provinces and territories begin in 2026-27, providing families in Canada with access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive ELCC for their children, while making life more affordable and allowing parents greater opportunities to pursue work or education.

We'll also work with First Nations, Inuit, the Métis Nation, and Modern Treaty Self-Governing partners to support Indigenous-led ELCC programs. Our goal is to ensure Indigenous children and families have access to high-quality, culturally-relevant, early learning. In addition, investments will be made to build and upgrade Indigenous ELCC centres.

Through the National School Food Program, we'll continue to work with provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners to enhance and expand access to school food programs across Canada, enabling up to 400,000 children each year to access school food programs within their communities. We also continue to work with Indigenous partners to support Indigenous-led engagement and capacity building activities related to school food programming.

We'll continue implementing Opportunities for All-Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy, with the goal of reducing poverty in Canada by 50% by 2030 relative to 2015 levels. This includes ongoing collaboration with provinces and territories to advance poverty reduction efforts. We will also continue to support the National Advisory Council on Poverty, which provides annual progress reports and recommendations to the Minister of Jobs and Families. The Council will continue engaging with Canadians to better understand the impacts of poverty and identify ways to accelerate progress towards our targets. We'll also continue working with National Indigenous Organizations to co-develop indicators that go beyond income measures to address both poverty and well-being.

We'll continue supporting the policy development of key poverty reduction programs like the Canada Child Benefit and the Canada Workers Benefit, while maintaining responsibility for major income support programs like the Old Age Security, Guaranteed Income Supplement and the Canada Disability Benefit.

Budget 2025

Budget 2025, released in November 2025, includes initiatives and proposed investments to support this core responsibility: 

  • introducing legislation and providing $216.6 million per year, starting in 2029-30, to ESDC, Indigenous Services Canada, and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada to make the National School Food Program permanent. This will ensure that children and youth continue to receive meals at school, while bringing down costs for parents
  • $115.7 million over four years, beginning in 2026-27, and $10.1 million per year ongoing for a one-time supplemental Canada Disability Benefit payment of $150 for Disability Tax Credit certification, or re-certification. This will make it easier for Canada Disability Benefit recipients to access the Canada Disability Tax credit
Clients receive high quality, timely and efficient services that meet their needs (Social Development)

We'll make it easier for Canadians to access Grants and Contributions. We will adapt the Client Experience Initiative to use real-time feedback and historical data to identify pain points and adapt services quickly. Planned improvements include simpler application processes, better guidance materials, and more accessible information. This will lead to reduced processing times, clearer communication, and higher client satisfaction.

Gender-based Analysis Plus

We are focused on collecting and analyzing Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) data on gender, race, ethnicity, age, geographic location, Indigenous identity, immigration status, disability, and 2SLGBTQI+ identification across all our programs to better understand and address the diverse needs of Canadians.

Through the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative (SBCCI), and in collaboration with SBCCI National Funders, disaggregated data from funding recipients will be collected and analyzed to better serve diverse Black communities. This includes groups such as 2SLGBTQ+ persons, persons with disabilities, immigrants, newcomers and refugees, and other groups with particular life experiences or identities. This will allow for evaluation of the efficacy of capacity building programs for organizations that are mandated to serve particular marginalized groups or people with specific life experiences within Black communities. Community input will also inform targeted projects and funding to support underserved and marginalized groups within the Black communities.

Through the SBCCI, we collect data from organizations that apply for and receive funding from the Black-led Philanthropic Endowment Fund to assess how effectively the program reaches a wide range of communities and Black-led, Black-serving, and Black-focused organizations.

Under the Social Development Partnership Program - Children and Families, we will continue gathering data from funded organizations through the final report template to evaluate project impacts across factors such as gender, ethnicity, geographic location, Indigenous status, immigration status, and 2SLGBTQI+ identification. This will allow the program to assess gaps at the end of each funding cohort and inform future program callouts.

For the New Horizons for Seniors Program, we collect data on how funded projects impact diverse seniors, including factors such as age, gender, location, disability status, Indigenous status, ethnicity, immigration status, and 2SLGBTQI+ identification. We are improving reporting tools such as the final report template and quarterly activity report, as well as implementing an annual summary report in the Pan-Canadian stream. These changes will help to boost response rates and enhance future evaluations of the program's impact by including specific outcome measures to better collect impacts of funding on participating seniors.

Through our Accessible Canada Fund, we'll collect data from the final reports of funded organizations. We'll use this data to evaluate the impact of projects on persons with disabilities and individuals with intersecting identities, including those from official language minority communities, 2SLGBTQI+ groups, Indigenous peoples, and minority communities including Black and other visible minority groups.

Planned resources to achieve results

This table provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.

Table 5: Planned resources to achieve results for Social Development
Resource Planned
Gross spending $9,999,000,791
Net spending $9,999,000,791
Full-time equivalents 417

Complete financial and human resources information for Employment and Social Development Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Program inventory

Social Development is supported by the following programs:

Additional information related to the program inventory for Social Development is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase.

Summary of changes to reporting framework since last year

This Departmental Plan is ESDC's first since updating its Departmental Results Framework (DRF) in 2025. Changes under this Core Responsibility include:

Core responsibility 2: Pensions and Benefits

In this section

Description

Assist Canadians in maintaining income for retirement, and provide financial benefits to survivors, people with disabilities and their families.

Quality of life impacts

Programs under this core responsibility contribute to the following Quality of Life Framework for Canada domain and indicators:

Domain - Prosperity (indicators - Poverty, Household income, Making ends meet) through activities that provide Canadians with income for retirement, and financial benefits to people with disabilities, survivors of pension contributors and their families.

Indicators, results and targets

This section presents details on the department's indicators, actual results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, targets, and target dates for Pensions and Benefits. Details are presented by departmental result.

Table 6: Seniors have income support for retirement
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target

Date to achieve target
Percentage of seniors living below the poverty line (Quality of Life) 2022-23: 5.6% (2021)
2023-24: 6.0% (2022)
2024-25: 5.0% (2023)		 Decrease year-over-year March 2027
Percentage of seniors receiving the Old Age Security pension at age 70 and over in relation to the estimated total number of eligible seniors aged 70 and over (OAS pension take-up rate 70+) 2022-23: 99% (2020)
2023-24: 99% (2021)
2024-25: 99% (2022) 		At least 97% March 2027
Percentage of Canada Pension Plan contributors aged 70+ receiving retirement benefits 2022-23: 99% (2021)
2023-24: 98% (2022)
2024-25: 99% (2023) 		At least 99% March 2027
Percentage of seniors 65 and over receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement in relation to the estimated total number of eligible seniors1 2022-23: 92% (2020)1
2023-24: 90% (2021)1, 2
2024-25: 91% (2022)1		 At least 90% March 2027
Table 7: Persons with disabilities and their families have financial support
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of persons with disabilities living below the poverty line (Quality of Life) 2022-23: 12.3%
2023-24: 12.0%
2024-25: not available1		 Decrease year-over-year March 2027
Percentage of eligible Canadians who have a Registered Disability Savings Plan2 2022-23: 36% (2022)
2023-24: 35% (2023)
2024-25: 34% (2024)		 At least 33% December 2026
Percentage of Canada Disability Benefit recipients out of the total eligible population 2022-23: not applicable3
2023-24: not applicable3
2024-25: not applicable3		 No target4 Not available4
Table 8: Clients receive high quality, timely and efficient services that meet their needs (Pensions and benefits)
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of targets met for the published service standards of Pensions and Benefits programs1 2022-23: 4 out of 10
2023-24: 4 out of 10
2024-25: 4 out of 10		 100% (10 out of 10 targets met) March 2027
Percentage of Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Retirement Benefits paid within the first month of entitlement 2022-23: 94.3%
2023-24: 94.3%
2024-25: 96.8%		 At least 90% March 2027
Percentage of decisions on applications for a Canada Pension (CPP) Plan disability benefit within 120 calendar days 2022-23: 78.7%
2023-24: 53.2%2
2024-25: 49.3%		 At least 80% March 2027
Percentage of Old Age Security (OAS) basic benefits paid within the first month of entitlement 2022-23: 87.6%
2023-24: 86.6%3
2024-25: 87.5%		 At least 90% March 2027
Percentage of clients satisfied with the service they received (Service Canada Client Experience Survey) 2022-23:
  • CPP: 85%
  • CPP Disability: 58%
  • OAS: 84%
2023-24:
  • CPP: 82%
  • CPP Disability: 53%
  • OAS: 86%
2024-25: not available4		 Increase year-over-year March 2027

Additional information on the detailed results and performance information for Employment and Social Development Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

The following section describes the planned results for Pensions and Benefits in 2026-27.

Seniors have income support for retirement

We'll provide income support for seniors in retirement through the Old Age Security (OAS) program. Most seniors will receive a basic OAS pension, if they are aged 65 or over and meet residence requirements. Low-income OAS pensioners will also get the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), and low-income Canadians aged 60 to 64 who are partners of GIS recipients, or are widowed, will receive Allowances.

To keep Canada Pension Plan (CPP) financially strong and responsive to Canadians' needs, we're working with provinces on the 2025-2027 Triennial Review.

Persons with disabilities and their families have financial support

We'll continue to improve the client experience for those applying for and receiving Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefits. This year, we'll make improvements for applicants and for the professionals who provide medical details on behalf of the applicant. As part of this year's CPP-Disability Action Plan, we'll simplify the application form, clarify eligibility information, and improve and automate program processes. We'll also evaluate the two-year Return-to-Work pilot project that ended in March 2026. This project tested new work transition supports for CPP Disability clients, including longer work-trial periods, a Return-to-Work Navigator that provided support and information regarding other benefits available and enhanced vocational rehabilitation services. The final report, with recommendations for permanent changes, is expected by spring 2027.

We'll provide financial support to eligible working-age persons with disabilities through the Canada Disability Benefit. This monthly payment is available to people who have a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate, and meet income thresholds determined by their tax filing, are a Canadian resident, and are aged 18 to 64.

We'll also maintain relationships with provinces and territories through the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee to discuss new and emerging issues related to persons with disabilities. Coordination and information sharing through this committee will facilitate a better alignment of disability programming between jurisdictions and improve services to Canadians.

Clients receive high quality, timely and efficient services that meet their needs (Pensions and Benefits)

We're taking a digital-first approach to pension programs by improving self-service tools, online forms, and digital communication. These changes will make our digital services easier to use. At the same time, we recognize that some clients still need in-person support. We will continue to offer flexible options so Canadians can access services in the way that works best for them.

We’re improving how the Canada Disability Benefit is delivered by raising awareness and making it more accessible. Additionally, we will track application numbers to adjust outreach activities to reach more potentially eligible clients, as needed, enhance client support, and adjust communications as the program stabilizes. Applications will remain available online, by phone, and in person. Automated renewals will use federal tax data to confirm continued eligibility to the benefit, helping boost income security for people with disabilities and their families.

We plan to use fraud analytics and Artificial Intelligence - to detect and prevent potential fraud earlier in the application processes for the CPP and OAS. This will help us act more quickly and make sure that benefits are delivered securely and efficiently to eligible Canadians, safeguard program integrity, and maintain public trust. In 2026–27, we expect to identify significant fraud prevention savings by catching fraud early.

Gender-based Analysis Plus

We are committed to collecting and analyzing data about the diversity of our clients to understand the different impacts of public pensions on different subgroups of seniors.

In the case of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), data is provided by beneficiaries when they apply and is updated when new information is provided through the myServiceCanada portal. We use this data to evaluate how the Plan, and its provisions, can best serve Canadians of different backgrounds, and to inform improvements for consideration during the CPP Triennial Review.

Through the Personal Support Worker Retirement Savings Innovation program, we'll collect data from the reports of funded organizations that are operating the pilot. We'll use this data to evaluate the impact of the pilot projects on personal support workers with different identities, including those of different ages, from official language minority communities, differing immigration status, and members of visible minority groups.

Research and data analysis based on Old Age Security program administrative data and, where applicable, Statistics Canada survey data, will continue to be used when assessing the impacts of potential measures on eligible seniors and near-seniors. We consider socio-economic factors such as gender, benefit type, age, place of residence and income level, and, where applicable, marital status.

Planned resources to achieve results

This table provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.

Table 9: Planned resources to achieve results for Pensions and Benefits
Resource Planned
Gross spending $164,005,842,787
Net spending $91,261,726,426
Full-time equivalents 6,426

Complete financial and human resources information for Employment and Social Development Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Program inventory

Pensions and Benefits is supported by the following programs:

  1. Canada Disability Benefit
  2. Canada Disability Savings Program
  3. Canada Pension Plan
  4. Old Age Security
  5. Personal Support Worker Retirement Savings Innovation Program

Additional information related to the program inventory for Pensions and Benefits is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase .

Summary of changes to reporting framework since last year

This Departmental Plan is ESDC's first since updating its Departmental Results Framework (DRF) in 2025. Changes under this Core Responsibility include:

Core responsibility 3: Learning, Skills Development and Employment

In this section

Description

Help Canadians access post-secondary education, obtain the skills and training needed to participate in a changing labour market, and provide supports to those who are temporarily unemployed.

Quality of life impacts

Programs under this core responsibility contribute the following Quality of Life Framework for Canada domains and indicators:

Domain - Prosperity (Indicators - Post-secondary attainment, Youth not in employment, education or training [NEET], Child skills, Adolescent skills, Adult skills, Protection from income shocks, Employment, Making ends meet, Labour underutilization) through programs that help Canadians access post-secondary education and assist Indigenous peoples, youth, and other groups obtain the training they need to participate in the labour market or return to school. In addition, programs provide support to individuals who are temporarily unemployed and to employers with labour needs

Domain - Society (Indicators - Knowledge of official languages, Sense of belonging to local community and Volunteering), through programs that help Canadians in second-language minority communities obtain the skills and training they need to find employment in their communities

Indicators, results and targets

This section presents details on the department's indicators, the actual results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates for Learning, Skills Development and Employment. Details are presented by departmental result.

Table 10: Working age Canadians access skills, training and supports to start working, return to work, return to school, or stay employed.
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of people reported as employed following training or employment support interventions 2022-23: not applicable1
2023-24: not applicable1
2024-25: not applicable1		 No target2 Not applicable2
Percentage of people reported as having returned to school following training or employment support interventions 2022-23: not applicable1
2023-24: not applicable1
2024-25: not applicable1		 No target2 Not applicable2
Employment Rate (Quality of Life) 2022-23: 62.0%
2023-24: 62.2%
2024-25: 61.3%		 Maintain or increase year over year March 2027
Employment rate of Indigenous peoples 2022-23: not available3
2023-24: not available3
2024-25: not available3		 Maintain or increase over time Release of 2026 Census data
Employment rate of persons with disabilities 2022-23: 47.1%
2023-24: 47.1%
2024-25: 46.4%		 Maintain or increase year over year March 2027
Employment rate of women 2022-23: 58.3%
2023-24: 58.5%
2024-25: 57.6%		 Maintain or increase year over year March 2027
Employment rate of visible minority group members 2022-23: 66.1%
2023-24: 65.5%
2024-25: 65.5%		 Maintain or increase year over year March 2027
Table 11: Canadian workers and employers participate in a labour market where skills and jobs match
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of businesses with identified skills gaps in their workforce (Canadian Business Conditions Survey) 2022-23: 29.4%
2023-24: 28.3%
2024-25: 24.2%		 Maintain or decrease year over year March 2027
Percentage of participants in an ESDC-funded training program who gained employment related to their field of training 2022-23: not applicable1
2023-24: 46.3%
2024-25: 51.3%		 At least 30%2 March 2027
Table 12: Workers receive temporary income support during employment transitions or specific life events.
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of unemployed individuals who contributed EI premiums in the previous 52 weeks who received EI regular benefits 2022-23: 87.7% (2021-22)1
2023-24: 71.3% (2022-23)1
2024-25: 60.4% (2023-24)1		 At least 52% March 2027
Percentage of parents with insurable employment that received maternity or parental benefits since the birth or adoption of their child 2022-23: 89.3% (2021-22)1
2023-24: 92.4% (2022-23)1
2024-25: 91.3% (2023-24)1		 At least 85% March 2027
Percentage of regular benefit claims for which claimants use the full duration of their entitled benefits 2022-23: not comparable (2021-22)1, 2
2023-24: 36.4% (2022-23)1
2024-25: 34.5% (2023-24)1		 At most 35% March 2027
Table 13: Youth and students receive supports, training and opportunities to help them attend school, work, or participate in their communities.
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of youth aged 15 to 29 not in employment, education or training (NEET) (Quality of Life) 2022-23: 11%
2023-24: 10.6%
2024-25: 12%		 Decrease year-over-year March 2027
Percentage of youth or students who gained employment or returned to education after completing a program intervention1 2022-23: 38.4%
2023-24: 78.2%
2024-25: 30.1%		 Maintain or increase March 2027
Completion rate of youth participating in interventions 2022-23: 82%
2023-24: 80%
2024-25: 81%		 80% March 2027
Number of youth and students who accessed supports or opportunities 2022-23: 140,631
2023-24: 164,997
2024-25: 150,595		 At least 23,0002 March 2027
Table 14: Canadians can afford to participate in post-secondary education or apprenticeship training
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of loans in repayment that are paid each year 2023-24: 15.1% (2022-2023)1
2024-25: 13.1% (2023-2024) 1
2025-26: 12.8% (2024-2025) 1		 At least 12% March 2027
Take up rate for the Canada Education Savings Grant 2022-23: 54.4%
2023 to 2024: 54.0%
2024 to 2025: 53.4%		 At least 54.3% December 31, 2026
Take up rate for the Canada Learning Bond 2022-23: 42.3%
2023-24: 43.0%
2024-25: 43.4%		 At least 45.3% December 31, 2026
Percentage of low- and middle-income Canadian young adults participating in post-secondary education 2022-23: 51.5% (2019)2
2023-24: 51.9% (2020)2
2024-25: 50.9% (2021)2		 At least 52.0% March 2027
Table 15: Clients receive high quality, timely and efficient services that meet their needs (Learning, skills development and employment)
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of targets met for the published service standards of Learning, Skills Development and Employment programs1 2022-23: 19 out of 25
2023-24: 20 out of 25
2024-25: 19 out of 25 		100% (21 out of 21 targets met) March 2027
Percentage of Social Insurance Numbers applied for through the Newborn Registration Service issued within 10 business days 2022-23: 100%
2023-24: 100%
2024-25: 100% 		100% March 2027
Percentage of registrations to My Service Canada Account through Trusted Digital Identities in participating provinces/territories 2022-23: 7.8%
2023-24: 7.0%
2024-25: 7.2% 		At least 7% March 2027
Percentage of clients satisfied with the service they received (Service Canada Client Experience Survey) 2022-23: 78%
2023-24: 77%
2024-25: not available2		 Increase year over year March 2027

Additional information on the detailed results and performance information for Employment and Social Development Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

The following section describes the planned results for Learning, Skills Development and Employment in 2026-27.

Working age Canadians access skills, training and supports to start working, return to work, return to school, or stay employed

We are making significant investments to strengthen Canada's workforce and ensure people have the skills needed for a changing economy. Our efforts focus on supporting green jobs, advancing skilled trades, improving labour mobility, and creating inclusive opportunities for under-represented groups. Through partnerships with provinces, territories, industry, and communities, we are helping Canadians access training, employment supports, and tools that prepare them for good jobs today and in the future. The following initiatives highlight how we are working to build a resilient, skilled, and inclusive workforce across the country.

Through the Union Training and Innovation Program Sustainable Job Stream, part of the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy (CAS), we plan to fund up to 10 projects to provide green skills training for approximately 29,300 apprentices and journeypersons in Red Seal trades. These projects will help strengthen the trades and apprenticeship system and build a workforce with the skills needed to advance Canada's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The CAS will also help first year apprentices in eligible Red Seal trades, including members of equity seeking groups, by supporting small and medium-sized employers in creating work placements through a renewed Apprenticeship Service.

As part of our Red Seal Program, we'll continue to develop standards and exams to improve labour mobility, align apprenticeship training, and ensure uniform assessment tools for certification in the skilled trades. This is done in collaboration with the provinces and territories, and in close consultation with industry. This year, five trades' interprovincial standards and 24 examinations for seven trades will be finalized.

This year, we will support over 5,000 workers in gaining new skills for jobs in the low-carbon economy through the Sustainable Jobs Training Fund, part of the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program (SWSP). This training will help them develop the skills needed for jobs focused on low-carbon energy and carbon management, green buildings and retrofits, as well as electric vehicle maintenance and charging infrastructure.

In addition, through the SWSP, we are partnering with 14 industry associations to fund the development of labour market information and tools. These resources will help workers develop needed skills and enable employers to collaborate in addressing workforce challenges across multiple sectors. The program will also support the childcare sector by helping to recruit and develop the skills of early childhood educators.

We'll invest $54 million through the Enabling Fund for Official Language Minority Communities to support community organizations that deliver employment assistance services. These services, like job search help and career advice, make it easier for people to find and keep jobs. Through 28 funded projects aimed at improving access to employment supports we help people stay, succeed, and contribute to the vitality of their communities.

This year, we'll work with Indigenous partners to co-develop and complete the first evaluation of the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training (ISET) Program. The ISET program funds Indigenous governments and organizations to design and deliver culturally relevant skills training and employment supports that respond to local labour market needs. Through these efforts, the program will support more than 40,000 Indigenous people and help at least 16,500 to find jobs.

Through the Skills and Partnership Fund (SPF), we'll work with Indigenous partners on targeted pilot projects to develop regional priorities for investments that align Indigenous workforce development with key economic sectors and regional labour market demand. The SPF supports partnerships between Indigenous organizations, employers, and other stakeholders to deliver demand-driven training linked directly to employment opportunities.

We will also continue to fund Engagement Protocol Agreements with national Indigenous partners, and this year we'll explore opportunities to develop agreements with regional Indigenous partners across the country, including organizations with established mandates to engage First Nations, Inuit, and Métis governments, rights holders, and communities. This funding will support collaborative work with Indigenous partners to improve federal policies and programs, including those focused on Indigenous labour market outcomes.

Together, these initiatives demonstrate our commitment to supporting Indigenous-led workforce development, addressing labour market needs, and advancing reconciliation through partnership and results.

We'll invest $2.1 billion in Canada's workforce under the Labour Market Development Agreements to provide eligible workers with skills training and employment assistance. In partnership with the provinces and territories, the investment is expected to help up to 500,000 Canadians prepare for, find, and keep good jobs, while also helping employers find the talent they need to grow.

This year, we'll invest $722 million to help Canadians who are further removed from the labour market access skills training and employment assistance through the Workforce Development Agreements (WDAs). In partnership with provinces and territories, we anticipate that up to 300,000 people will benefit from these services, helping them find and keep good jobs. In addition, $206 million of the annual WDA funding will be dedicated to supporting persons with disabilities, matched with an additional $206 million provided by provinces and territories, helping approximately 120,000 persons with disabilities (i.e., 3 out of 5 WDA clients).

The Opportunities Fund (OF) Program supports community projects in advancing the Employment Strategy for Canadians with Disabilities. It helps employers create inclusive workplaces and includes targeted initiatives for Black, Indigenous, and racialized Canadians with disabilities. This year, OF projects will help about 6,200 persons with disabilities gain skills and work experience, while also helping about 2,000 employers make workplaces more accessible and inclusive for persons with disabilities.

Budget 2025

Budget 2025, released in November 2025, includes initiatives and proposed investments to support this core responsibility: 

  • $570 million over three years, starting in 2025-26, through Labour Market Development Agreements, and with provinces and territories, to support training and employment assistance for workers impacted by tariffs and global market shifts
  • $382.9 million over five years, starting in 2026-27, and $56.1 million ongoing, to launch new Workforce Alliances and the Sectoral Workforce Innovation Fund. These Alliances will bring together employers, unions, and industry to find ways to help businesses and workers succeed in the changing labour market. The Fund will invest in projects tailored to local job markets to help businesses in key sectors and regions recruit and retain the workforce they need
  • $75 million over three years, starting in 2026-27, to expand the Union Training and Innovation Program, which supports union-based apprenticeship training in the Red Seals trades
Canadian workers and employers participate in a labour market where skills and jobs match

With our Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) Program we'll help internationally trained professionals (ITPs) integrate into the job market. To do this, we'll: fund initiatives that make FCR processes faster and more efficient; provide FCR loans and support services to ITPs; and provide employment assistance to help ITPs gain Canadian work experience in their field. This year, we'll have 58 agreements to help about 32,000 ITPs (mostly in the health and construction sectors) and support thousands more through system improvements.

This year, work to modernize the Job Bank website will continue. Over the next 4 years, Job Bank will implement improvements to the website to prepare Canadians for future labour market demands, help employers find talent, and more easily and quickly match Canadian workers with available jobs. The goal is to transform the current Job Bank beyond job search and labour market information services to become a complete "skills-to-job" platform, connecting job seekers and employers with tailored information on jobs, skills and training. In 2026-27, Job Bank will build upon the modernization work that happened in 2025-26, by integrating more features of the Job Bank Plus Account into the mobile application, making improvements to the 30-day feedback mechanism, and the available workers dashboard as user feedback is received from Canadians using the tools. Ongoing partnership development related to the National Training Platform will continue to expand the number of available courses. This year, we estimate that 24 million users (Job seekers and employers combined) will access Job Bank.

We'll continue to ensure that the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program is designed and administered as a measure of last resort and a temporary measure to be used to fill critical employment gaps, only when qualified Canadians and permanent residents are not able to fill job vacancies. In doing so, we will also continue to support the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan commitment to reduce temporary resident levels to less than 5% of Canada's population by the end of 2027. At the same time, we will continue to protect the health and safety of temporary foreign workers. We will also hold employers accountable for complying with program requirements and conditions to prevent program misuse and worker mistreatment. This includes conducting employer compliance inspections and curbing Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) misuse. In cases of suspected misuse, we will suspend positive LMIAs to prevent these employers from hiring additional temporary foreign workers.

We continue to work in collaboration with Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Global Affairs Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada on the development of a new agriculture and fish and seafood processing stream under the TFW Program, focused on making sure there is a reliable source of temporary foreign labour for these sectors and strengthening worker protections.

Budget 2025

Budget 2025, released in November 2025, includes initiatives and proposed investments to support this core responsibility: 

  • $50 million over five years, starting in 2026-27, and $8 million ongoing, to improve navigation and client experience on Job Bank for all Canadians, including job seekers and employers, to develop Artificial Intelligence-enhanced job matching services and launch a new national online training platform to connect Canadians with training and upskilling opportunities.
  • $97 million over five years, starting in 2026-27, to establish the Foreign Credential Recognition Action Fund. The department will work with the provinces and territories to improve the fairness, transparency, timeliness, and consistency of foreign credential recognition, with a focus on health and construction sectors. This funding come from existing departmental resources
Workers receive temporary income support during employment transitions or specific life events

The Employment Insurance (EI) Program will continue to provide up to 5 extra weeks of EI benefits to seasonal workers in 13 regions until October 2026. This measure is expected to help 62,000 seasonal workers per year.

We will also continue implementing the new 15-week shareable EI adoption benefit. This will help approximately 1,700 parents (including surrogates), each year, by giving them more time and flexibility when they welcome a new child.

We'll continue to support workers affected by economic uncertainty, including tariffs. Some temporary measures introduced in 2025 will continue into 2026-27. These include waiving the one-week waiting period and suspending the rules around separation monies like severance pay as well as providing 20 additional weeks of EI for long-tenured workers. This also includes the newly announced grant to employers who participate in Work-Sharing while also committing to offer training to their workers.

Our goal is to issue EI benefit payments or non-benefit notifications within 28 days of applicant’s filing. In addition, we aim to finalize Employment Insurance request for reconsideration within 30 days of the request being received.

Budget 2025

Budget 2025, released in November 2025, includes initiatives and proposed investments to support this core responsibility:

  • $3.7 billion over three years, starting in 2025-26 for temporary EI measures that offer extra support to Canadian workers whose jobs have been impacted by the economic uncertainty caused by foreign tariffs
  • $17 million over 3 years, starting in 2027-28, to allow parents receiving EI parental benefits to access additional weeks of support
Youth and students receive supports, training and opportunities to help them attend school, work, or participate in their communities

We'll continue to lead the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) and deliver it in collaboration with 11 other federal departments, agencies, and Crown Corporations. Supports are provided to diverse youth aged 15 to 30 so they can become job-ready through work experience, training and wraparound supports. This will help them successfully transition into the labour market. This year, more than 37,000 youth will be supported, including 29,000 supported directly through Employment and Social Development Canada's YESS Program (5,000) and Canada Summer Jobs (24,000).

We'll create up to 8,000 service opportunities, such as placements and micro-grants, through the Canada Service Corps. These opportunities will help youth build useful skills and gain experience while supporting their communities.

To help youth overcome challenges in education, we'll fund youth-serving organizations through the Supports for Student Learning Program. This year, about 150,000 equity-deserving learners at risk of dropping out of school or not being or training will be assisted. Supports will help learners stay engaged, do better in school, and move on to further education or jobs.

Budget 2025

Budget 2025, released in November 2025, includes initiatives and proposed investments to support this core responsibility:

  • $594.7 million over two years, starting in 2026-27, for Canada Summer Jobs to support additional job placements bringing the total to around 100,000 jobs in summer 2026
  • $307.9 million over two years, starting in 2026-27, for the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy to provide additional employment, training, and supports bringing the total to around 20,000 youth supported annually, including those supported directly through ESDC
  • $635.2 million over three years, starting in 2026-27, for the Student Work Placement Program to support around 55,000 work-integrated learning opportunities for post-secondary students in 2026-27
  • $40 million over two years, starting in 2026-27, to create a Youth Climate Corps to provide paid skills training for young Canadians. Youth will be trained to quickly respond to climate emergencies, support recovery, and strengthen resilience in communities across the country
  • streamlining program delivery by consolidating the Canada Service Corps program and the Supports for Student Learning Program to bring down administration costs
Canadians can afford to participate in post-secondary education or apprenticeship training

We'll continue to inform primary caregivers about their child's Canada Learning Bond (CLB) eligibility through regular mailings. We'll also connect with diverse communities by offering information sessions and developing new online resources that explain the benefits of early education savings in Registered Education Savings Plans, the Canada Education Savings Grant and CLB. This includes letting them know about changes coming in 2028 for automatic CLB enrolment and the extension of the age limit for adult beneficiaries to claim the CLB.

The Canada Student Financial Assistance Program will provide financial assistance to more than 700,000 post-secondary students through non-repayable Canada Student Grants and interest-free Canada Student Loans.

Clients receive high quality, timely and efficient services that meet their needs (Learning, Skills Development and Employment)

This year, we'll launch Employment Insurance special benefits for the Self-Employed on our new benefit delivery platform. We will make sure applications are simple, bi-weekly reporting is easy, and clients receive proactive notifications through the My Service Canada Account.

We'll expand the use of advanced technology, like machine learning, AI, and network analytics to find signs of fraud earlier in the application processes for EI. In 2026-27, we plan to achieve significant savings by catching fraud early.

In 2026-27, the Employment Insurance recourse process will be improved and become more user-friendly and responsive to Canadians' needs. This year, the new Employment Insurance Board of Appeal (BOA) will launch. Through the BOA, first-level appeals will be heard by regional, tripartite panels representing workers, employers, and government. Clients will be able to choose their preferred hearing format - in person, by phone, videoconference, or hybrid - with most decisions delivered on the same day. This approach ensures fairer, faster, and more accessible appeal decisions.

We're advancing the Integrated Workload Workforce service delivery model to support alignment of our workforce to the workload, to optimize client service. This model allows us to adjust in response to the most pressing client need. Given the success of model in the EI program, we're looking to advance it in other program areas, including Pensions.

Gender-based Analysis Plus

To strengthen the impact of our initiatives, we are improving how demographic data is collected and analyzed. Understanding factors such as gender, age, ethnicity, disability, and newcomer status helps us identify barriers and improve accessibility. This approach ensures programs are responsive to the needs of diverse and under-represented groups. Each program works on specific initiatives to collect and analyze data to improve delivery for Canadians.

Organizations funded by the Enabling Fund for Official Language Minority Communities program will keep collecting data to better understand the program's impacts on diverse official language minority communities. They will report on factors like gender, age, 2SLGBTQI+ identity, Indigenous and racialized groups, immigration status, and official languages spoken. In addition, we will collaborate with funded organizations to refine performance mechanisms and strengthen data collection tools to harmonize reporting, improve outcome measurement, and align more closely with performance indicators, resulting in more reliable and meaningful evidence of the program's impact.

Through Future Skills, the department aims to improve Canada's skills development ecosystem through strategic investments in an independent research and innovation centre (Future Skills Centre, or "FSC"). A minimum of 50% of FSC's funding will be used to address the training needs of under-represented groups in the labour market, including up to 20% for under-represented youth. FSC will collect personal, income, and employment data from participants to conduct an analysis on the effectiveness of various training types for different demographics to gain a better understanding of the barriers to labour market participation faced by under-represented groups (visible minorities, newcomers, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, youth, rural & remote communities, etc.).

We'll evaluate impacts of the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities through evaluation reports that analyze how different demographic groups, including gender groups, are affected. The next evaluation report, to be published in early 2026, will use data collection tools like interviews and focus groups to explore how intersecting identity factors (such as gender, age, ethnicity, newcomers or racialized groups, individuals living in rural or isolated communities and type of disability) affect the program's reach, accessibility and outcomes.

GBA Plus data will be collected annually from Skills for Success Program participants. This includes data on gender, age, Indigenous status, race, disability status, and newcomer status. This information will be used to inform program decisions so that we can meet the needs of specific groups. We are also conducting a pilot project to collect detailed demographic information about intersecting identities. Depending on the demographic characteristics of the participants, this could include intersections such as between gender and age, gender and Indigenous status, age and disability status, gender and newcomer status, and others. The results will be used to inform the direction of program data collection and analysis.

We'll improve our ability to assess the use of the TFW Program by age, gender, and nationality. Currently, monitoring relies on LMIA statistics, departmental case management systems, and data from Migrant Worker Support Organizations. There are gaps, particularly the absence of gender information from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data. To improve this, we'll look for better ways to link LMIA data, Employer Compliance Data, and IRCC's work permit data. We'll also work with Statistics Canada to include temporary residents in national surveys, such as the Canadian Survey on Disabilities.

To better understand impacts of the Canada Education Savings Programs on diverse groups including Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and newcomers, we'll continue to share data with Statistics Canada to connect it with other data sets like Census data and Canada Revenue Agency tax data. This will help us report on program impacts by gender and diversity.

The Supports for Student Learning Program helps at-risk youth including Indigenous students, Black and racialized students, low-income students, and those with disabilities. We collect anonymous data on participants and gather feedback through surveys to track academic and social outcomes.

We'll continue to collect anonymous data from Canada Service Corps participants to assess differences in experiences between groups. We'll also continue our annual survey to gain insights into participants' experiences. This combined approach will allow us to evaluate program impacts on Canadian youth from diverse backgrounds. Canada Service Corps will use disaggregated data to assess the volunteering rates among target groups, including Indigenous, Black and racialized youth, youth with disabilities, youth living in rural or remote areas, 2SLGBTQI+ youth, low-income youth, newcomer youth, and Official Language Minority Communities youth. All Canada Service Corps funded projects must aim for at least 50% of participants from these groups.

Planned resources to achieve results

This table provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.

Table 16: Planned resources to achieve results for Learning, Skills Development and Employment
Resource Planned
Gross spending $39,960,469,122
Net spending $7,874,286,484
Full-time equivalents 14,452

Complete financial and human resources information for Employment and Social Development Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Program inventory

Learning, Skills Development and Employment is supported by the following programs:

Additional information related to the program inventory for Learning, Skills Development and Employment is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase.

Summary of changes to reporting framework since last year

This Departmental Plan is ESDC's first since updating its Departmental Results Framework (DRF) in 2025. Changes under this Core Responsibility include:

Core responsibility 4: Working Conditions and Workplace Relations

In this section

Description

Promotes safe, healthy, fair and inclusive work conditions and cooperative workplace relations.

Quality of life impacts

Programs under this core responsibility contribute to the following Quality of Life Framework for Canada domains and indicators:

Domain - Health (Indicator - Functional health status), through programs aimed at making sure work conditions are safe and healthy

Domain - Good Governance (Indicators - Canada's place in the world, Cyberbullying, Resolution of serious legal problems, Access to fair and equal justice, Discrimination and unfair treatment, and Representation in senior leadership positions), through programs promoting fair and equitable treatment of workers, supporting labour standards enforcement, addressing discrimination and harassment in the workplace, and strengthening fair work standards in other areas of the world

Domain - Prosperity (Indicator - Protection from income shock), through programs designed to safeguard workers in cases of workplace injuries or when affected by workplace bankruptcy, protecting them from sudden income loss

Indicators, results and targets

This section presents details on the department's indicators, the actual results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates for Working Conditions and Workplace Relations. Details are presented by departmental result.

Table 17: Workplaces are safe and healthy
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Number of health and safety violations identified under the Canada Labour Code (Part II) per 1,000 federally regulated employees 2022-23: 10.4
2023-24: 9.2
2024-25: 7.7		 At most 9 March 2027
Table 18: Work Conditions are fair and inclusive.
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of Legislated Employment Equity Program employers whose representation equals or surpasses Canadian labour market availability for 2+ designated groups or who demonstrated progress towards representation since the previous reporting period 2022-23: 78%
2023-24: 77%
2024-25: 81%		 At least 75% March 2027
Number of founded violations identified under the Canada Labour Code (part III) per 1,000 federally regulated employees 2022-23: 2.2
2023-24: 1.8
2024-25: 1.5		 At most 3 March 2027
Table 19: Labour relations are cooperative
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of labour disputes settled under the Canada Labour Code (Part 1) without work stoppages, where parties were assisted by Labour Program officers 2022-23: 96%
2023-24: 96%
2024-25: 97%		 At least 95% March 2027
Table 20: Clients receive high quality, timely and efficient services that meet their needs (Working conditions and workplace relations)
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of targets met for the published service standards of Working Conditions and Workplace Relations programs1 2022-23: 2 out of 4
2023-24: 2 out of 4
2024-25: 3 out of 4		 100% (3 out of 3 targets met) March 2027
Percentage of occupational health and safety cases finalized within 120 days (excluding prosecutions, appeals, and technical surveys) 2022-23: 72%2
2023-24: 74%
2024-25: 83%		 At least 80% March 2027
Percentage of unjust dismissal complaints finalized within 180 days 2022-23: 65%
2023-24: 50%3
2024-25: 45%4		 At least 75% March 2027
Percentage of conciliators assigned under the Canada Labour Code within 15 calendar days of receiving requests compliant with Canada Industrial Relations Regulations 2022-23: 100%
2023-24: 100%
2024-25: 100%		 100% March 2027
Percentage of initial Wage Earner Protection Program payments and non-payment notifications issued within 35 calendar days 2022-23: 99%
2023-24: 86.6%
2024-25: 89.9%		 At least 80% March 2027

Additional information on the detailed results and performance information for Employment and Social Development Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

The following section describes the planned results for Working Conditions and Workplace Relations in 2026-27.

Workplaces are safe and healthy

We'll continue to promote safe and healthy workplaces by updating regulations and engaging with stakeholders. This includes work to improve protections against workplace hazards and support for inclusive practices. We will also collaborate across jurisdictions to advance shared priorities and strengthen coordination through information-sharing initiatives.

Work Conditions are fair and inclusive

In 2026, we'll review our regulations to support the Government of Canada's goal of reducing regulatory red tape. We'll focus on key areas such as streamlining regulatory processes and aligning related regulations. We'll create a more efficient regulatory environment that minimizes burdens while maintaining essential protections. A few examples of this work are:

We'll continue to address worker misclassification in the road transportation industry to ensure workers have the rights and benefits to which they are entitled. Awareness sessions will be held for organizations, associations, and employers. If employers fail to comply, enforcement tools-such as legal orders or fines-may be used by the department. We are also collaborating with the Canada Revenue Agency to share information and help prevent misclassification. In addition, we'll improve information sharing and collaboration between Labour programs and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program on employers who violate the Canada Labour Code, and/or the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. This information sharing will help with compliance and enforcement efforts, support program development, and guide operational decisions and Labour Market Impact Assessments.

Workers will also benefit from our continued review of the Administrative Monetary Penalties regime under the Canada Labour Code. This includes reviewing labour standards and occupational health and safety provisions and considering increases to penalties, as stated in Budget 2025. Increasing penalty amounts under the regime, and other potential changes, will require stakeholder engagement, expected to take place in 2026.

Budget 2025

Budget 2025, released in November 2025, includes initiatives and proposed investments to support this core responsibility: 

  • examine an increase in penalties to ensure workers are protected and compensated for the work they perform, with consultations planned in 2026
  • amendments to the Canada Labour Code to restrict the use of non-compete agreements in employment contracts for federally regulated businesses, with consultations for early 2026
  • amendments to the Income Tax Act and the Excise Tax Act to allow the Canada Revenue Agency to share information with ESDC for the purpose of addressing worker misclassification:
    • we'll work with the CRA to advance reciprocal data sharing that started in 2025. This will help strengthen compliance in the road transportation sector, so that employers comply with reporting requirements and tax obligations, protecting workers' rights
Labour relations are cooperative

We will continue to support cooperative labour relations in the federally-regulated private sector by offering joint training workshops appointing mediators and conciliators to support negotiations between unions and employers at the bargaining table. We'll continue to work with stakeholders to raise awareness of the Wage Earner Protection Program (WEPP), to provide a timely payment to eligible workers in Canada who are owed wages, vacation pay, severance pay and termination pay when their employer files for bankruptcy, becomes subject to a receivership, or other WEPP qualifying insolvency proceeding.

Clients receive high quality, timely and efficient services that meet their needs (Working conditions and workplace relations)

Stakeholders have identified that current processes and regulations cause administrative burden, overlap, and inefficiency. To address this, we will introduce measures to improve compliance with the Employment Equity Act for federally-regulated employers. These measures will clarify requirements, reduce misinterpretation, and ease reporting obligations-ultimately helping us to reduce red tape by strengthening systems, processes, and employer support.

Gender-based Analysis Plus

We'll strengthen our capacity to support inclusive and responsive policies in line with the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act by conducting consultations to identify training needs and developing curriculum that supports the implementation of Gender-based Analysis Plus in future initiatives. We'll focus on improving data access and advancing intersectional analysis by collaborating with ESDC's Chief Data Office and Gender-based Analysis Plus Centre of Expertise and fostering collaboration across program areas.

We aim to expand the Workplace Equity Program's toolkit to increase self-identification rates among employees, including communication templates and strategies to encourage voluntary participation in self-identification surveys. Since self-identification is optional, boosting participation is essential for collecting accurate and reliable data.

We'll continue to collect employment data from federally regulated private-sector employers on four designated groups: women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and visible minorities. The data captures intersections within these groups, such as Indigenous men and women. This effort aligns with the Gender Results Framework indicators-Economic Participation and Prosperity and Leadership and Democratic Participation-to monitor representation and pay gaps across occupational categories.

We're integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into Equi'Vision, an employment equity tool designed to improve transparency. Al will reduce manual work, improve accuracy, and ensure timely reporting. It will also identify best practices and enable performance comparisons across industries, fostering continuous improvement. By providing public access to employment equity results, we'll increase accountability and encourage employers to improve opportunities for the four designated groups under the Employment Equity Act.

The Gender-based Analysis Plus lens will continue to be applied to Labour Standards initiatives to ensure inclusive outcomes for diverse groups, particularly vulnerable groups -such as low-wage workers and those in precarious employment. Gender-based Analysis Plus analysis will accompany all amendments to Part III of the Canada Labour Code to assess impacts on women, men, gender-diverse individuals, and intersecting identity factors such as race, ethnicity, religion, and age.

Planned resources to achieve results

This table provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.

Table 21: Planned resources to achieve results for Working Conditions and Workplace Relations
Resource Planned
Gross spending $183,232,860
Net spending $182,332,860
Full-time equivalents 774

Complete financial and human resources information for Employment and Social Development Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Program inventory

Working Conditions and Workplace Relations is supported by the following programs:

Additional information related to the program inventory for Social Development is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase.

Summary of changes to reporting framework since last year

This Departmental Plan is ESDC's first since updating its Departmental Results Framework (DRF) in 2025. For this Core Responsibility, we edited the language of indicators for clarity.

Core responsibility 5: Information Delivery and Services for Other Departments

In this section

Description

Provide information to the public on the programs of the Government of Canada and the department and provide services on behalf of other government departments.

Quality of life impacts

Programs under this core responsibility contribute to the following Quality of Life Framework for Canada domains and indicators:

Domain - Good Governance (Indicators - Confidence in institutions, Misinformation, Trust in media) through activities that provide information to the public on services offered by various levels of government

Domain - Society (Indicators - Indigenous languages, Knowledge of official languages) through programs that involve collaborating with Indigenous organizations, as well as provinces and territories, to deliver services and information to the public in the official language of their choice

Indicators, results and targets

This section presents details on the department's indicators, the actual results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates for Information delivery and services for other departments. Details are presented by departmental result.

Table 22: Clients receive high quality, timely and accurate information and services for programs and benefits (Information delivery and services for other departments)
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of 1 800 O-Canada assessed calls meeting standards for completeness, relevancy and accuracy assessment 2022-23: 86%
2023-24: 86%
2024-25: 85%		 At least 85% March 2027
Percentage of clients served in person who received assistance within 25 minutes 2022-23: 78%
2023-24: 70%
2024-25: 75%1 		At least 80% March 2027
Percentage of program services that meet their service standard targets2 2022-23: 3 out of 5
2023-24: 4 out of 5
2024-25: 2 out of 4		 100% (4 out of 4 targets) March 2027
Percentage of time the Canada.ca website is accessible 2022-23: 100%
2023-24: 100%
2024-25: 100%		 99% March 2027
Table 23: Partner organizations receive high quality services from Service Canada
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results 2026-27 Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of partner organizations reporting satisfaction with service delivery partnerships 2022-23: not applicable1
2023-24: not applicable1
2024-25: not applicable1		 No target2 Not applicable

Additional information on the detailed results and performance information for Employment and Social Development Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

The following section describes the planned results for Information delivery and services for other departments in 2026-27.

Clients receive high quality, timely and accurate information and services for programs and benefits (Information delivery and services for other departments)

We'll continue to use the Accessibility Playbook as a guide to improve accessibility in client service. This will make sure that accessibility is built into the design of all programs and services from the start, so that Canadians don't face barriers when accessing support. For example, we'll adopt plain language standards and add screen-reader compatibility to online forms to make them easier for persons with disabilities to access.

Community Outreach and Liaison Services focus on building stronger relationships with Indigenous communities and hard-to-reach populations to make sure that people facing barriers can access services they need more easily. We'll hold in-person and virtual engagements in select communities to make sure those who are underserved get the information needed to easily access services.

Canadians will also benefit from one-on-one assistance, digital access support, and referrals to specialized services. Scheduled Outreach sites extend services to smaller communities, while 39 additional Service Canada offices will begin offering bilingual services as part of the Official Languages Regulations Reapplication Exercise-improving the timeliness of information delivery in both official languages.

The 1‑800‑O‑Canada program will remain a central bilingual contact point for general enquiries. It will continue to be a trusted and reliable source of government-wide information on all programs, benefits and services: It will:

We'll use our contact centre expertise and flexible operations to provide specialized phone support for government programs on demand. Our Customized Information Services will help departments manage busy call times, as well as other initiatives like new program rollouts. This will ensure Canadians get timely and accurate information in a cost-effective fashion.

We'll expand tools so departments can deliver better services to Canadians on Canada.ca. This includes:

We'll also continue to provide accurate and accessible information on Canada.ca, so clients can easily find answers to their questions, reducing the need for calls and emails to service centres. This will allow us to focus on other activities, like processing applications faster, benefiting clients by improving the speed of service.

Partner organizations receive high quality services from Service Canada

Partnerships with other departments will further strengthen service delivery. In 2026-27, Service Canada will continue to implement a partnership strategy to guide collaboration with governmental and community organizations. This strategy will improve how partnerships are identified and used, making the collaboration more effective and delivering value to Canadians. In addition, we'll continue to enhance existing partnerships through a range of program-specific and service delivery initiatives, including:

Together, these initiatives demonstrate the department's commitment to providing Canadians with high-quality, timely, and accurate information and services for programs and benefits, while fostering collaboration that strengthens the overall client experience and creates value for partner organizations.

Gender-based Analysis Plus

We'll continue collecting service feedback and demographic information from clients in a variety of ways, analyze these responses, as well as how these clients interact with our services. This allows us to identify challenges faced by specific client groups. With tools like the Service Canada Client Experience Survey, we're capturing representative data from clients that allow us to strategically plan service improvements. Clients can complete a survey on their experience when they visit a Service Canada Centre. Clients are also invited to share their feedback at specific moments of their journey, such as when they apply for the Canadian Dental Care Plan or the Canada Disability Benefit. The analysis of these data sources is done using Gender-based Analysis Plus and the results are shared across the organization. Impacts from changes resulting from these recommendations are assessed and adjusted as needed.

We'll also apply Gender-based Analysis Plus considerations to the development of CanadaLogin and GC Issue & Verify, ensuring that authentication and digital credentials work seamlessly for everyone, including those with limited internet access, older devices, or those who use assistive technologies.

Planned resources to achieve results

This table provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.

Table 24: Planned resources to achieve results for Information delivery and services for other departments
Resource Planned
Gross spending $504,038,457
Net spending $504,038,457
Full-time equivalents 3,541

Complete financial and human resources information for Employment and Social Development Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Program inventory

Information delivery and services for other departments is supported by the following programs:

Additional information related to the program inventory for Social Development is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase.

Summary of changes to reporting framework since last year

This Departmental Plan is ESDC's first since updating its Departmental Results Framework (DRF) in 2025. For this Core Responsibility, we made changes to reflect the contribution of Programs not previously represented (Service Delivery Partnerships, the new Canadian Digital Service).

Internal services

In this section

Description

Internal services are the services provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of services:

Plans to achieve results

This section presents highlights of the department's plans to achieve results and meet targets for internal services.

Management and oversight services
Access to information

We'll continue to promote openness and transparency as outlined in the Access to Information Act (ATIA) and provide timely access to records under both the ATIA and the Privacy Act. We will do this by:

Privacy

We'll continue to protect the privacy of Canadians. This includes:

Data

We'll continue to make evidence-based, data-driven decisions by strengthening collaboration with other government departments and leveraging new data sources. Our focus is on implementing data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategies to enable responsible adoption and scaling of analytics, technologies, and tools in alignment with Government of Canada direction. More specifically, we will:

Evaluation services

We'll continue to improve evaluation services by:

Research and Innovation

We'll continue to build a strong evidence base to guide our policies, programs and services, as outlined in the Departmental Policy and Service Research Plan. We'll continue to work on more than 100 research projects aimed at providing accurate, timely, and accessible information.

Our research will consider cross-cutting issues and use various techniques including Gender-based Analysis Plus. Our projects will align with the priorities of our department and the Government of Canada's priorities, focusing on themes such as:

Our Innovation Lab will focus on applying principles from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Declaration on Public Sector Innovation. We'll work on projects and employee-led innovations that focus on making internal processes and programs more efficient, including experimenting with the use of artificial intelligence. This work will help us create better programs and services for Canadians.

Security

To protect our information, assets, and employees, we're focusing on:

Human resources management services

We're committed to a healthy, diverse workplace and will focus on:

Information management services

We'll develop modern, reliable and secure information management systems, aligned with Canada's digital priorities, to support services for Canadians by:

Information technology services

We'll improve our Information Technology which supports service sustainability and delivery. This includes:

In addition, we are leading the IT Apprenticeship Program for Indigenous Peoples and will increase the representation of Indigenous peoples in the Government of Canda's digital workforce.

Financial management services

We'll continue to manage our resources responsibly and update our services to meet the needs of Canadians by:

Real property management services

We'll continue to ensure sound stewardship in real property management by:

Planned resources to achieve results

Table 25 provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.

Table 25: Planned resources to achieve results for internal services this year
Resource Planned
Gross spending $ 1,158,445,856
Net spending $356,812,929
Full-time equivalents 5,335

Complete financial and human resources information for ESDC's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

We'll aim to increase contracts with Indigenous businesses by using our Indigenous procurement strategy and the Indigenous Business Directory to find suppliers. Our goal is to consistently meet or exceed the 5% target by:

We aim to keep exceptions to the 5% target as low as possible. For example, our largest program-Benefits Delivery Modernization (BDM)-has contracts that pre-date the target. To offset this, we've introduced Indigenous sub-contracting into the BDM project, which will continue this year.

These actions help us build strong relationships with Indigenous businesses and meet our commitment.

Table 26 presents the current, actual results with forecasted and planned results for the total percentage of contracts the department awarded to Indigenous businesses.

Table 26: Percentage of contracts planned and awarded to Indigenous businesses
5% Reporting Field 2024-25 Actual Result 2025-26 Forecasted Result 2026-27 Planned Result
Total percentage of contracts with Indigenous businesses 6.92% 5% 5%

Department-wide considerations

Related government priorities

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

This year, we'll contribute to the 2030 Agenda and a number of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to leave no one behind.

No poverty (SDG 1)
Zero hunger (SDG 2)
Good health and well-being (SDG 3)
Quality education (SDG 4)
Gender equality (SDG 5)
Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8)
Reduced inequalities (SDG 10)
Peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16)
Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17)

More information on Employment and Social Development Canada's contributions to the Federal Implementation Plan on the 2030 Agenda and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy can be found in our Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

ESDC will continue to create and use ethical, responsible, and people-focused AI solutions to improve productivity, efficiency and effectiveness. This will reduce costs and allow employees to focus on more complex work.

AI strategy and governance
Preparing the workforce
Deploying AI

Key risks and mitigation strategies

We are focused on providing programs and services that are reliable, efficient, and accessible for all Canadians. By regularly reviewing our operations and applying proactive risk management practices, we work to anticipate challenges and respond effectively-to make sure that support and meaningful results are consistent for the people we serve. We also recognize that risks can present opportunities for innovation and improvement, and we strive to leverage these opportunities to strengthen our programs and services.

Throughout the year, we monitor departmental risks to understand changes in the risk environment and their potential impacts. The department has identified the following key risks that could affect our ability to fulfill our mandate, and these risks are actively being managed:

1. Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity continues to be a top risk for the department due to the rapidly evolving and increasingly complex cyber threat landscape. There is a risk that external cyberattacks or insider actions could compromise our information technology systems and assets. Such incidents may result in the loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability of these assets, potentially disrupting service delivery. To mitigate this risk, we continue to invest in security measures, strengthen monitoring and incident response capabilities, and promote employee awareness through ongoing engagement.

2. Fraud and Wrongdoing

There is a risk that bad actors may commit fraud or wrongdoing in our programs and operations. To manage this risk, we actively monitor, prevent, detect and respond to threats and incidents and we support these efforts with employee training and awareness activities. By proactively addressing fraud and wrongdoing, we protect public resources and strengthen trust in government programs, making sure that Canadians receive the benefits and services they deserve.

3. Workforce

There is a risk that employees may not be prepared to adapt to the rapid pace of changes from major transformation initiatives. In addition, they may lack the skills needed for the future. This could lead to increased workplace stress and negatively impact the department's ability to deliver excellent service to Canadians. We create change management strategies to help employees navigate through the transition. In addition, we maintain ongoing communication to ensure that all employees are aware of the supports available to them.

4. Artificial Intelligence

There is a risk that the department will not appropriately use Artificial Intelligence (AI), which could prevent us from achieving operational efficiencies and improvements, and lead to security incidents. To address this risk, we have strengthened governance for AI use and are equipping employees with the knowledge they need to effectively use the AI tools.

Planned spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of Employment and Social Development Canada's planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and of planned spending for 2026-27 with actual spending from previous years.

In this section

Spending

ESDC Planned spending for the fiscal year 2026 to 2027

For fiscal year 2026-27, the department’s planned expenditure on programs and services total $218.8 billion. Of that amount, $210.5 billion (96.2%) will benefit Canadians through statutory and voted transfer payments. These include Employment Insurance (EI), the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Old Age Security (OAS), the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program and Canada Apprentice Loans, the Canada Education Savings Program, the Canada Disability Benefit, the Canada Disability Savings Program, the Early Learning and Childcare, and the Workforce Development Agreements.

Figure 2: Breakdown of planned expenditures for fiscal year 2026 to 2027 – Consolidated total: $218,762.0 M
Figure 2 presents the breakdown of planned expenditures for fiscal year 2026 to 2027 – Consolidated total: $218,762.0 M Text version follows below
Text description of figure 2

This pie chart shows a breakdown of planned spending for fiscal year 2026-27 and the percentage that each spending category represents.

  • Consolidated total: $218,762.0 million
  • Old Age Security; Guaranteed Income Supplement; Allowances: $88,833.0 million (40.6%)
  • Canada Pension Plan: $72,415.8 million (33.1%)
  • Employment Insurance: $30,037.1 million (13.7%)
  • Canada Student Financial Assistance; Other statutory payments: $6,712.9 million (3.1%)
  • Gross operating expenditures: $5,299.1 million (2.4%)
  • Voted Grants and Contributions: $12,513.1 million (5.7%)
  • Other - EI and CPP charges and recoveries: $2,951.0 million (1.4%)
Table 27: Detailed view of ESDC planned expenditures for fiscal year 2026-27:
ESDC GROSS OPERATING PLANNED SPENDING (in million of dollars)
Net operating costs1 2,127.5
Add Recoveries in relation to:
- Canada Pension Plan 461.9
- Employment Insurance Operating Account 2,708.8
- Government Employee Compensation Act 0.9
Sub-total recoveries 3,171.6
Total gross operating planned spending 5,299.1
ESDC TRANSFER PAYMENTS PLANNED SPENDING (in million of dollars)
Voted Grants and Contributions 12,513.1
Old Age Security / Guaranteed Income Supplement / Allowance
- Old Age Security 67,823.0
- Guaranteed Income Supplement 20,356.0
- Allowance 654.0
Old Age Security / Guaranteed Income Supplement / Allowance total 88,833.0
Canada Student Financial Assistance / Other Statutory Payments
- Canada Student Financial Assistance Program and Canada Apprentice Loans 3,354.3
- Canada Education Savings Program 1,337.0
- Canada Disability Benefit 1,100.0
- Canada Disability Savings Program 864.0
- Wage Earner Protection Program 49.3
- Other Specified Purpose Accounts - including Government Annuities Account
and the Civil Service Insurance Fund		 8.3
Canada Student Financial Assistance / Other Statutory Payments total 6,712.9
Canada Pension Plan Benefits 72,415.8
Employment Insurance Benefits
- Employment Insurance - Part I 27,595.1
- Employment Insurance - Part II 2,442.0
Employment Insurance Benefits total 30,037.1
Total transfer payments planned spending 210,511.9
Others - EI and CPP charges and other recoveries2 2,951.0
ESDC 2025-2026 total planned spending 218,762.0

The following table reconciles gross planned spending with net planned spending of Employment and Social Development Canada for the upcoming three fiscal years. Please refer to the ESDC's Financial Framework for a complete description of the departmental financial profile, including an explanation of gross planned spending.

Table 28: Financial resources (dollars)
Categories 2026-27
budgetary spending
(as indicated in Main Estimates)		 2026-27
planned spending		 2027-28
planned spending		 2028-29
planned spending
Planned Gross Spending 113,349,840,848 218,762,005,924 227,037,049,094 235,321,431,535
less: Planned Spending in Specified Purpose Accounts 0 105,412,165,076 109,408,155,310 113,645,406,963
less: Planned Revenues netted against expenditures 3,171,642,901 3,171,642,901 3,156,228,488 2,646,819,271
Planned Net Spending 110,178,197,947 110,178,197,947 114,472,665,296 119,029,205,301

ESDC's Financial Framework

The department has a complex financial structure, with various funding mechanisms used to deliver its mandate. The department is funded by 4 main sources of funds:

  1. Appropriated funds from the Consolidated Revenue Fund
  2. The Employment Insurance (EI) Operating Account
  3. The Canada Pension Plan (CPP)
  4. Other government departments and Crown corporations

Planned expenditures related to the EI Operating Account and the CPP, as well as planned expenditures that are recovered from Crown corporations and other government departments for the administration of the Government Employee Compensation Act, are excluded from ESDC's Main and Supplementary Estimates and net planned spending because they are not voted by Parliament.

EI and CPP benefits and related administrative costs are charged against revenues earmarked in separate specified purpose accounts.

Administrative costs incurred by the department in the delivery of programs related to EI and CPP are charged to their respective specified purpose accounts and reported as revenues netted against expenditures under the department.

The Department of Employment and Social Development Act was amended in June 2018 to broaden the department's mandate to include service delivery to the public with a view to improve services to Canadians. The department has the legislative authority to deliver services to the public for partners on a cost-recovery basis as well as to deliver select services for the Government of Canada, such as passport services and Canada Dental Care Plan.

These items are included in the department's gross planned spending to provide readers with the full cost of the resources managed by ESDC to deliver its mandate. In addition, spending by other departments and crown corporations for the administration of EI and CPP is also included in order to present a complete picture of costs associated with the department's programs and services.

The sources of funds, including specified purpose accounts, for each of the Department's core responsibilities are as follows:

Core Responsibility 1: Social Development

Core Responsibility 2: Pensions and Benefits

Core Responsibility 3: Learning, Skills Development and Employment

Core Responsibility 4: Working Conditions and Workplace Relations

Core Responsibility 5: Information Delivery and Services for Other Departments

Internal Services

Actual spending summary for core responsibilities and internal services

The following tables show information on spending for each of ESDC's core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years. Amounts for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on spending to date. This first table shows the gross amounts, while the second table shows the net amounts. Please refer to the ESDC's Financial Framework for a complete description of the departmental financial profile, including an explanation of gross planned spending.

Table 29: reconciles gross planned spending with net spending for 2026-27.

Table 29: Actual spending summary for core responsibilities and internal services — Gross (dollars)
Core responsibilities
and internal services		 2023-24
actual expenditures		 2024-25
actual expenditures		 2025-26
forecast spending
Core Responsibility 1: Social Development 6,884,431,661 8,018,859,343 9,297,143,069
Core Responsibility 2: Pensions and Benefit 138,642,211,774 147,165,165,946 154,377,016,662
Core Responsibility 3: Learning, Skills Development and Employment 33,930,132,694 34,552,944,563 40,287,329,649
Core Responsibility 4: Working Conditions and Workplace Relations 198,251,624 206,974,970 193,498,380
Core Responsibility 5: Information Delivery and Services for Other Departments 545,781,525 603,214,600 518,356,607
Subtotal 180,200,809,278 190,547,159,422 204,673,344,367
Internal services 1,399,457,961 1,304,593,561 1,254,515,358
Other Costs1 2,557,353,857 2,687,419,101 2,802,090,753
Total 184,157,621,096 194,539,172,084 208,729,950,478
Table 30: Actual spending summary for core responsibilities and internal services — Net (dollars)
Core responsibilities
and internal services		 2023-24
actual expenditures		 2024-25
actual expenditures		 2025-26
forecast spending
Core Responsibility 1: Social Development 6,884,431,661 8,018,859,343 9,297,143,069
Core Responsibility 2: Pensions and Benefits 77,425,657,291 81,688,146,091 85,325,277,128
Core Responsibility 3: Learning, Skills Development and Employment 8,856,955,550 7,905,833,330 8,827,238,274
Core Responsibility 4: Working Conditions and Workplace Relations 197,022,291 205,888,660 192,298,380
Core Responsibility 5: Information Delivery and Services for Other Departments 545,781,525 603,214,600 518,356,607
Subtotal 93,909,848,318 98,421,942,024 104,160,313,458
Internal services 533,532,396 485,677,742 454,409,966
Total 94,443,380,714 98,907,619,766 104,614,723,424

Analysis of the past three years of spending

The department expects an overall increase of $24.6 billion in gross spending from fiscal year 2023 to 2024 to fiscal year 2025 to 2026. This increase is primarily attributed to higher expenditures for Old Age Security (OAS) and Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits, driven by a growing number of beneficiaries as the population ages and by increases in benefit amounts.

Below is a summary of the main factors contributing to the overall spending increase between fiscal year 2023 to 2024 and fiscal year 2025 to 2026:

More detailed financial information on spending is available on the Finances section of GC Infobase.

Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services

The following tables shows information on spending for each of ESDC's core responsibilities and for its internal services for the upcoming three fiscal years. This first table shows the gross amounts, while the second table shows the net amounts. Please refer to the ESDC's Financial Framework for a complete description of the departmental financial profile, including an explanation of gross planned spending.

Table 31: Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services — Gross (dollars)
Core responsibilities
and internal services		 2026-27
budgetary spending
(as indicated in Main Estimates)		 2026-27
planned spending		 2027-28
planned spending		 2028-29
planned spending
Core Responsibility 1: Social Development 9,999,000,791 9,999,000,791 9,338,561,988 9,615,241,616
Core Responsibility 2: Pensions and Benefits 91,590,023,823 164,005,842,787 173,837,174,077 183,046,483,253
Core Responsibility 3: Learning, Skills Development and Employment 9,915,099,061 39,960,469,122 39,034,425,508 37,901,733,635
Core Responsibility 4: Working Conditions and Workplace Relations 183,232,860 183,232,860 180,874,015 172,186,187
Core Responsibility 5: Information Delivery and Services for Other Departments 504,038,457 504,038,457 456,665,039 345,046,338
Subtotal 112,191,394,992 214,652,584,017 222,847,700,627 231,080,691,029
Internal services 1,158,445,856 1,158,445,856 1,107,049,713 1,032,138,266
Other Costs1 0 2,950,976,051 3,082,298,754 3,208,602,240
Total 113,349,840,848 218,762,005,924 227,037,049,094 235,321,431,535
Table 32: Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services — Net (dollars)
Core responsibilities
and internal services		 2026-27
budgetary spending
(as indicated in Main Estimates)		 2026-27
planned spending		 2027-28
planned spending		 2028-29
planned spending
Core Responsibility 1: Social Development 9,999,000,791 9,999,000,791 9,338,561,988 9,615,241,616
Core Responsibility 2: Pensions and Benefits 91,261,726,426 91,261,726,426 97,042,571,954 101,973,302,496
Core Responsibility 3: Learning, Skills Development and Employment 7,874,286,484 7,874,286,484 7,131,643,523 6,629,135,791
Core Responsibility 4: Working Conditions and Workplace Relations 182,332,860 182,332,860 179,974,015 171,286,187
Core Responsibility 5: Information Delivery and Services for Other Departments 504,038,457 504,038,457 456,665,039 345,046,338
Subtotal 109,821,385,018 109,821,385,018 114,149,416,519 118,734,012,428
Internal services 356,812,929 356,812,929 323,248,777 295,192,873
Total 110,178,197,947 110,178,197,947 114,472,665,296 119,029,205,301

Analysis of the next three years of spending

The department expects an overall increase of $16.6 billion in gross planned spending from fiscal year 2026 to 2027 to fiscal year 2028 to 2029. This can be primarily explained by annual increases to CPP and OAS benefits.

Below is a summary of the main reasons for the overall increase in funding over the planning years:

Offsetting these increases are decreases between fiscal year 2026 to 2027 and fiscal year 2028 to 2029, which contribute to the overall variance. These decreases include the following:

Planned spending currently included in this Departmental Plan reflects authorities approved as of tabling in Parliament. As priorities shift and evolve, additional funding will be sought and approved for fiscal year 2026 to 2027 and future years through Estimates.

More detailed financial information on planned spending is available on the Finances section of GC Infobase.

The following table reconciles gross planned spending with net planned spending for the fiscal year 2026-27 for each of ESDC’s core responsibilities and for its internal services. Please refer to the ESDC's Financial Framework for a complete description of the departmental financial profile, including an explanation of gross planned spending.

Table 33: 2026–27 budgetary gross and net planned spending summary (dollars)
Core responsibilities
and internal services		 2026-27
gross planned spending		 2026-27
planned gross spending in specified purpose accounts		 2026-27
planned revenues netted against spending		 2026-27
planned net spending
Core Responsibility 1: Social Development 9,999,000,791 0 0 9,999,000,791
Core Responsibility 2: Pensions and Benefits 164,005,842,787 72,415,818,964 328,297,397 91,261,726,426
Core Responsibility 3: Learning, Skills Development and Employment 39,960,469,122 30,045,370,061 2,040,812,577 7,874,286,484
Core Responsibility 4: Working Conditions and Workplace Relations 183,232,860 0 900,000 182,332,860
Core Responsibility 5: Information Delivery and Services for Other Departments 504,038,457 0 0 504,038,457
Subtotal 214,652,584,017 102,461,189,025 2,370,009,974 109,821,385,018
Internal services 1,158,445,856 0 801,632,927 356,812,929
Other Costs1 2,950,976,051 2,950,976,051 0 0
Total 218,762,005,924 105,412,165,076 3,171,642,901 110,178,197,947

Information on the alignment of ESDC's spending with Government of Canada's spending and activities is available on GC InfoBase.

Funding

This section provides an overview of the department's voted and statutory funding for its core responsibilities and for internal services. For further information on funding authorities, consult the Government of Canada budgets and expenditures.

The following graph presents planned spending (voted and statutory expenditures) over time.

Figure 3: Departmental spending 2023–24 to 2028–29
Figure 3 summarizes the department's approved voted and statutory funding refer to Chapter 3 of the annual from 2023-24 to 2028-29. Text version follows below
Text description of figure 3
Year 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28 2028-29
Statutory $82,840,593,310 $87,334,481,786 $91,147,756,564 $96,553,289,167 $102,035,442,883 $107,121,666,634
Voted1 $11,602,787,404 $11,573,137,980 $13,466,966,860 $13,624,908,780 $12,437,222,413 $11,907,538,667
Total $94,443,380,714 $98,907,619,766 $104,614,723,424 $110,178,197,947 $114,472,665,296 $119,029,205,301
  • Note:
    1. Voted expenditures or planned spending include debt write-offs in the fiscal years 2023 to 2024 and 2025 to 2026.

Estimates by vote

Information on ESDC's organizational appropriations is available in the 2026-27 Main Estimates.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations

The future-oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of ESDC's operations for 2025-26 to 2026-27.

Table 34 summarizes the expenses and revenues which net to the cost of operations before government funding and transfers for 2025-26 to 2026-27. The forecast and planned amounts in this consolidated statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The forecast and planned amounts presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.

The consolidated future-oriented condensed statement of operations includes the transactions of the Employment Insurance Operating (EIO) Account, a consolidated specified purpose account which includes revenues credited and expenses charged under the Employment Insurance Act. The accounts of the EIO Account have been consolidated with those of ESDC and all inter-organizational balances and transactions have been eliminated. However, the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) is excluded from ESDC's reporting entity because changes to the CPP require the agreement of two thirds of the provinces and therefore, the CPP is not controlled by ESDC.

Table 34: Future-oriented condensed statement of operations for the year ending March 31, 2027 (dollars)
Financial information 2025-26
forecast results		 2026-27
planned results		 Difference
(2026-27 planned results minus
2025-26 forecast results)
Total expenses 140,566,693,362 145,888,951,467 5,322,258,105
Total revenues 34,932,720,971 36,498,398,616 1,565,677,645
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers 105,633,972,391 109,390,552,851 3,756,580,460

Analysis of forecasted and planned results

The increase of $3,756.6 million in the 2026-27 planned results of the net cost of operations, when compared to the 2025-26 forecast results, is primarily driven by:

A more detailed Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and associated Notes for 2026-27, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations with the requested authorities, is available on ESDC's website.

Human resources

The following table shows a summary of human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for ESDC’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years. Human resources for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on year to date.

Table 35: Actual human resources for core responsibilities and internal services
Core responsibilities
and internal services		 2023-24
actual FTEs		 2024-25
actual FTEs		 2025-26
forecast FTEs
Core Responsibility 1: Social Development 562 658 507
Core Responsibility 2: Pensions and Benefits 7,608 8,446 7,548
Core Responsibility 3: Learning, Skills Development and Employment 16,529 16,457 15,757
Core Responsibility 4: Working Conditions and Workplace Relations 807 822 839
Core Responsibility 5: Information Delivery and Services for Other Departments 4,748 5,462 4,045
Subtotal 30,254 31,845 28,696
Internal services 6,361 6,374 5,818
Total 36,615 38,219 34,514

Analysis of human resources over the last three years

For 2025 to 2026, the department plans a decrease of 2,101 full-time equivalents over 2023 to 2024. The decrease is primarily the results of the efforts in modernization and efficiencies in the Passport program service delivery, as well the sunsetting of temporary funding allocated for the workloads related to Employment Insurance and for the corporate costs associated with various initiatives.

The following table shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for each of ESDC’s core responsibilities and for its internal services planned for 2026–27 and future years.

Table 36: Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services
Core responsibilities
and internal services		 2026-27
planned FTEs		 2027-28
planned FTEs		 2028-29
planned FTEs
Core Responsibility 1: Social Development 417 410 381
Core Responsibility 2: Pensions and Benefits 6,426 6,459 4,861
Core Responsibility 3: Learning, Skills Development and Employment 14,452 13,935 10,351
Core Responsibility 4: Working Conditions and Workplace Relations 774 754 715
Core Responsibility 5: Information Delivery and Services for Other Departments 3,541 3,203 2,297
Subtotal 25,610 24,761 18,605
Internal services 5,335 5,132 4,920
Total 30,945 29,893 23,525

Analysis of human resources for the next three years

Planned full-time equivalents (FTEs) in fiscal year 2026-27 are 3,569 lower compared to forecasted FTEs in fiscal year 2025-26. This decrease is mainly attributed to several factors:

The variance in planned FTEs will be influenced by new funding decisions and the renewal of partnership agreements.

The overall decrease of 7,420 planned full-time equivalents (FTEs) from fiscal year 2026 to 2027 to fiscal year 2028 to 2029 is mainly explained by the following:

Statutory Annual Reports

Training and employment assistance under Part II of the Employment Insurance Act helps people across the country prepare for, find, and maintain employment. Canada has a well-established system of training and employment assistance supports, with hundreds of points of service across the country.

Every year, the federal government invests $2.1 billion in EI-funded training and employment assistance to help individuals and employers, in partnership with the provinces and territories. These investments include:

In addition, in summer 2025, and re-announced in Budget 2025, the Government of Canada approved an additional $570 million in response to tariffs and global market shifts, to be delivered through the Labour Market Development Agreements.

Part II of the EI Act also frames the Government of Canada's responsibility for pan-Canadian programs and the role of the National Employment Service. Through pan-Canadian programs, the government leads responses to labour market challenges that extend beyond local and regional labour markets, notably in funding national activities through federal Labour Market Partnerships and Innovation Projects.

For more detailed information on Employment Insurance Part II, please visit our website or refer to Chapter 3 of the annual Employment Insurance Monitoring and Assessment Report which also includes information on pan-Canadian programming.

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on Employment and Social Development Canada's website:

Information on Employment and Social Development Canada's departmental sustainable development strategy can be found Employment and Social Development Canada's website.

Federal tax expenditures

Employment and Social Development Canada's Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures.

The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures.

This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs as well as evaluations and Gender-based Analysis Plus of tax expenditures.

Corporate information

Departmental profile

Appropriate minister: The Honourable Patty Hajdu

Institutional head: Paul Thompson, Deputy Minister, Employment and Social Development

Ministerial portfolio: Minister of Jobs and Families

Enabling instruments: Department of Employment and Social Development Act (S.C. 2005, c. 34); additional information on acts and regulations can be found on the Employment and Social Development Canada website

Year of incorporation / commencement: 2005

Other: For more information on the department's role, please visit the Employment and Social Development Canada website

Departmental contact information

Mailing address:

Portage IV
140 Promenade du Portage
Gatineau, QC K1A 0J9

Telephone: 1-800-622-6232

TTY: 1-800-622-6232

Email: NC-SPR-PSR-CPMD-DPMG-GD@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

Website(s): www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development.html

Definitions

appropriation (crédit)
Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)
Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, departments or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.
core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)
An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.
Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)
A report on the plans and expected performance of an appropriated department over a 3‑year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.
departmental result (résultat ministériel)
A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. A departmental result is often outside departments' immediate control, but it should be influenced by program‑level outcomes.
departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
A quantitative measure of progress on a departmental result.
departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
A framework that connects the department's core responsibilities to its departmental results and departmental result indicators.
Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
A report on a department's actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.
full-time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)
A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person‑year charge against a departmental budget. For a particular position, the full‑time equivalent figure is the ratio of number of hours the person actually works divided by the standard number of hours set out in the person's collective agreement.
Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])
Is an analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs, and other initiatives. GBA Plus is a process for understanding who is impacted by the issue or opportunity being addressed by the initiative; identifying how the initiative could be tailored to meet diverse needs of the people most impacted; and anticipating and mitigating any barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative. GBA Plus is an intersectional analysis that goes beyond biological (sex) and socio‑cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography (including rurality), language, race, religion, and sexual orientation. Using GBA Plus involves taking a gender‑ and diversity‑sensitive approach to our work. Considering all intersecting identity factors as part of GBA Plus, not only sex and gender, is a Government of Canada commitment.
government priorities (priorités gouvernementales)
For the purpose of the 2026‑27 Departmental Plan, government priorities are the high‑level themes outlining the government's agenda in the 2025 Speech from the Throne.
horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)
An initiative where two or more federal departments are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.
Indigenous business (entreprise autochtones)
Requirements for verifying Indigenous businesses for the purposes of the departmental result report are available through the Indigenous Services Canada Mandatory minimum 5% Indigenous procurement target website.
non‑budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)
Non‑budgetary authorities that comprise assets and liabilities transactions for loans, investments and advances, or specified purpose accounts, that have been established under specific statutes or under non‑statutory authorities in the Estimates and elsewhere. Non‑budgetary transactions are those expenditures and receipts related to the government's financial claims on, and obligations to, outside parties. These consist of transactions in loans, investments and advances; in cash and accounts receivable; in public money received or collected for specified purposes; and in all other assets and liabilities. Other assets and liabilities, not specifically defined in G to P authority codes are to be recorded to an R authority code, which is the residual authority code for all other assets and liabilities.
performance (rendement)
What a department did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the department intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.
performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)
A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of a department, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.
plan (plan)
The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how a department intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead to the expected result.
planned spending (dépenses prévues)
For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in Main Estimates. A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.
program (programme)
Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.
program inventory (répertoire des programmes)
Identifies all the department's programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department's core responsibilities and results.
result (résultat)
A consequence attributed, in part, to a department, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single department, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the department's influence.
statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)
Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.
target (cible)
A measurable performance or success level that a department, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.
voted expenditures (dépenses votées)
Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an appropriation act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.

Footnotes

Page details

2026-03-13