About the Work-Sharing Program
Coming soon: Workforce Retention and Retraining Program (WRRP)
The Government of Canada has announced the proposed new WRRP. The WRRP will combine the Employment Insurance Work-Sharing Program and the Worker Retention Grant into a single program to help employers retain and retrain workers during periods of economic adjustment.
The WRRP will introduce additional Work-Sharing flexibilities and provide funding of up to $1,000 per participant to support training and administrative costs, subject to program requirements.
Current Work-Sharing agreements will remain in effect. Employers with an active agreement do not need to submit a new application and will continue to receive support under their existing agreement.
Did you know? Work-Sharing employers may be eligible for additional funding
Learn more about the Worker Retention Grant, a temporary funding opportunity designed to support employee training and skills development during Work-Sharing agreements.
Tariffs: Special measures
These Special Measures, originally implemented in response to the impact of tariffs, have been extended by one additional year and will now remain in effect to March 31, 2028, ensuring continued support for employers and workers facing temporary reductions in business activity.
More information is available under 'Special measures' on the Work-Sharing Program page.
Work-Sharing is an agreement between employers, employees and the Government of Canada (Service Canada).
The Work-Sharing Program helps employers and employees avoid layoffs, when there is a temporary decrease in the normal level of business activity that is beyond the control of the employer.
This program provides Employment Insurance benefits to eligible employees who:
- agree to reduce their normal working hours, and
- share the available work while their employer recovers
The Program allows employers to:
- retain qualified and experienced workers, and
- avoid recruiting and training new employees
The Program allows employees to:
- keep their jobs, and
- maintain their work skills
Key program features
Work-Sharing unit
A Work-Sharing unit is a group of employees with similar job duties who agree to reduce their hours of work over a specific period.
Equal sharing of work
All members of a Work-Sharing unit agree to reduce their hours of work by the same percentage and to share the available work.
Expected work reduction
A Work-Sharing unit must reduce its hours of work by at least 10% to 60%. The reduction hours can vary from week to week. The average reduction over the course of the agreement should remain within the range of 10% to 60%.
Agreement length and extension
A Work-Sharing agreement must be a minimum 6 consecutive weeks long and can be up to a maximum 26 consecutive weeks. Although the maximum duration of an initial agreement is 26 weeks, there is the possibility of accessing an extension of up to 12 weeks bringing the duration of the agreement to 38 weeks. Employers can end their Work-Sharing agreement at any time by contacting their regional Work-Sharing unit.
Contact us
Related links
- Employer obligations during an active Work-Sharing agreement
- Employees receiving Work-Sharing benefits during an active Work-Sharing agreement
- Work-Sharing Program: Employee annex
- Worker Retention Grant: Employee annex
- Work-Sharing Program statistics