This afternoon the provincial government announced a new workers benefit program called the Alberta Jobs Now Program which Alberta businesses can use to subsidize the hiring and training costs for new employees. Additional funding is also available for hiring persons with disabilities.
The Alberta Jobs Now program will provide up to $370 million to help private and non-profit businesses with job supports to get thousands of Albertans back to work.
Employers can apply for funding to offset the cost of hiring and training unemployed or underemployed Albertans in new or vacant positions.
"This federal-provincial investment is the largest job training program in Alberta’s history. It will support our province’s recovery, help businesses re-open or grow their workforce, and give Albertans an opportunity to gain the skills they need in today’s job market," says Premier Jason Kenney.
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
37.5% 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
- Choose to have payments issued in 1 or 2 payments:
- 1 payment: up to 100% of the grant after new hires have been employed for 52 weeks
- 2 payments:
- half of the eligible grant paid when the new hires have been employed for 3 months
- the other half paid when the new hires have been employed for 52 weeks
We encourage UFA members to please review the application guidelines to see if your business qualifies.
For guidelines and information visit Alberta Jobs Now Program: Application Guidelines
