New: Alberta Jobs Now Funding

How much funding can I receive?

Eligible employers can:

• Apply for a grant to offset salary or training costs, or both, equal to:
  • 25% of a new hire’s salary up to $25,000 per employee
  • 7.5% of the new hire’s salary up to $37,500 per employee with a disability
• Apply for up to 20 full-time new hires per intake period:
  • First Intake – May 20 to August 31, 2021
  • Second Intake – September 15 to December 31, 2021
  • Third Intake – to be announced at a later date

How can this benefit me?

• Employers can apply to the Albertan Jobs Now program to cover wages or training costs of hiring unemployed or underemployed workers in new or vacant positions. This funding can help you re-open or expand your operations.
• If you are unemployed or working fewer than 30 hours a week and looking for a new job, let potential employers know they can apply for the Alberta Jobs Now program to cover wages and training costs if they hire you. *Workers cannot apply for the program directly.
• Employers who hire persons with disabilities will receive a grant 1.5 times higher than the amount they would receive for other employees. If you have a disability and are looking for work, you can let employers know they can receive extra grant money through the Alberta Jobs Now Program if they hire you.
  

When will I receive my funding payment?

Eligible employers will have the choice to receive:

1 Payment – 100% of the grant after new hires have been employed for 52 weeks.

OR

2 Payments – 50% of the eligible grant when the new hires have been employed for 3 months, and the remaining 50% after the new hire has been employed for 52 weeks.

Who is eligible and how do I apply?

The eligibility criteria for the first intake (January 1, 2021 – May 18, 2021) is narrower than the criteria for the second intake and includes:

• The company must be registered/incorporated for at least one year
• The new hire must be unemployed/underemployed (i.e. the new hire cannot have left another full-time position)
• The new hire must work at least 30 average hours/week
• Must be a new hire to the employer, and information submitted to the program within 30 days of their hire.
• A previous employee of the employer may be rehired provided they have not been working for the employer during the past 90 days.
• Employers must have been hiring for new or vacant positions that last at least 52 weeks.
• Contractors don’t count.
• Applications could be made up to July 23, 2021

For the second intake (hires on or after May 19, 2021), there are new, widened eligibility criteria, here is a summary of the changes:

• Companies in all industries and businesses that are less than one year old can apply for funding.
• Employers can hire up to 10 new hires under the regular program and may be approved for an additional 10 if they can demonstrate a ‘substantial need’.
• The focus was on hiring unemployed or underemployed Albertans; however, the rules have recently loosened to allow for hiring ’employed’ Albertans if there is a business need.
• The new hire must work at least 15 average hours/week
• Employers have up to 90-days to recruit for ‘approved positions’.
• Applications open November 10, 2021.

A third intake is expected at a later date.

For detailed information on eligibility requirements and how to apply for this funding, we recommend that you please visit the official Alberta Jobs Now program website. The application portal may be accessed directly.