Temporary Employment Insurance measures to respond to major changes in economic conditions

Temporary Employment Insurance (EI) measures have been introduced to support workers in response to major changes in economic conditions. These measures will improve access to EI benefits.

On this page

• Waiving the waiting period
• Suspending the allocation of separation earnings
• Adjusting the unemployment rate in certain regions
• Contact us

Waiving the waiting period

Before you start receiving benefits, there is usually 1 week you won't be paid called the waiting period. It's like the deductible that you pay for other types of insurance.

Under the temporary measure, the waiting period is waived for all new claims for EI benefits that start between March 30, 2025 and October 11, 2025.

Note

You may serve the waiting period if it's to your advantage because of a top-up from a Supplemental Unemployment Benefit (SUB) plan.

Suspending the allocation of separation earnings

Normally, earnings paid because of a temporary or permanent separation from employment are allocated from the week of the separation. Separation earnings can include:

• vacation pay
• pay in lieu of notice
• severance pay
• closure bonuses
• sick leave credits

Under the temporary measure, if your claim or the allocation starts between March 30, 2025 and October 11, 2025, earnings from separation are not deducted from your benefits.

Adjusting the unemployment rate in certain regions

The number of hours needed to qualify for regular benefits depends on the unemployment rate in the region where you usually live. For fishing benefits, the required earnings vary based on your region's unemployment rate.

To improve access to benefits, a temporary measure will adjust the unemployment rate for regions with rates under 13.1%. This applies to claims starting between April 6, 2025 and July 12, 2025.

How the unemployment rate is adjusted

For regions with an actual unemployment rate of:

• 6.1% or less, the rate is set at 7.1%
• 6.2% to 12%, 1% is added to the rate
• 12.1% to 13%, the rate is set at 13.1%
• 13.1% or higher, there is no change to the rate

Look up EI Economic Region by Postal Code to find out the unemployment rate in your region.

Qualifying under the temporary measure

The following table shows the minimum requirements to qualify for EI regular and fishing benefits under the temporary measure:

Minimum requirements to qualify for EI regular and fishing benefits under the temporary measure

Adjusted unemployment rate	Regular benefits (hours needed)	Fishing benefits (earnings needed)
7.1%	630 hours	$3,800
7.2% to 13%	455 to 630 hours	$2,700 to $3,800
13.1% or higher	420 hours	$2,500

If you have violations on your EI file, you may still need more hours of insurable employment or insurable earnings to qualify.

Contact us

For more information about these temporary EI measures, contact us.