Unemployment

Employment Insurance Regular Benefits

Employment Insurance (EI) provides Regular Benefits to individuals who lose their jobs through no fault of their own (for example, due to shortage of work, seasonal or mass lay-offs) and are available for and able to work, but can't find a job.

Skills Link

Skills Link helps youth facing employment barriers to improve their employability. The program offers participants assessments for implementing an action plan that will help them obtain and keep the type of employment they are seeking or return to school.

Canadian Forces Aboriginal Entry Program

This program aims to facilitate the selection and enrolment of Aboriginal people who are interested in full-time employment in the Canadian Forces.

Job Bank

The Job Bank helps you find jobs across Canada. You can advertise your profile to employers and receive a list of matching jobs. It includes a Résumé Builder and a Career Navigator tool that helps you with career decisions.

Office of Literacy and Essential Skills

The Office of Literacy and Essential Skills provides information and free resources to help improve the literacy and essential skills of adult Canadians.

Career Transition Services

This program helps Regular Force members, as well as some members of the Reserve Force, get practical help finding a job.

Additional Information

Wage Earner Protection Program

This program reimburses eligible workers for unpaid wages, vacation pay, severance pay, and termination pay they are owed when their employers declare bankruptcy.

Working in Canada

The Working in Canada Web site provides job seekers, workers and those who are new to the Canadian labour market with the information required to make informed decisions about where to live and work. The site can assist individuals who are searching for work or looking to make career decisions.

Careers in the Federal Public Service

The Public Service Commission of Canada offers information about careers in the federal public service and features a searchable listing of job opportunities that are currently available. Individuals looking for employment within the federal government, the Canadian Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police can search this Web site for job postings and related information.

Summer Diversity Program

This program provides students with disabilities, Aboriginal students and other racially visible students with full-time work in a Nova Scotia government department or agency in a field related to their education.

Targeted Initiative for Older Workers

The Targeted Initiative for Older Workers (TIOW) provides employment assistance services and employability improvement activities, such as skills upgrading and work experience, to assist unemployed workers aged 55 to 64 with their return to work.

Employment Insurance Maternity and Parental Benefits

Employment Insurance (EI) provides Maternity and Parental Benefits to individuals who are pregnant, have recently given birth, are adopting a child, or are caring for a newborn.

The Live-In Caregiver Program

Live-in caregivers are individuals who are qualified to provide care for children, elderly persons or persons with disabilities in private homes without supervision. Live-in caregivers must live in the private home where they work in Canada.

Youth Employment Strategy

The Youth Employment Strategy is the Government of Canada's commitment to help young people, particularly those facing barriers to employment, get the information and gain the skills, work experience and abilities they need to make a successful transition into the labour market.

Youth Eco Internship Program

This program places unemployed youth from diverse backgrounds into paid internship opportunities within the non-profit and community services sector in Canada with a focus on the environment, community and women's services. These positions, offered in a wide range of organizations, will help young Canadians learn the skills required to gain and sustain future employment within the sector.

Nova Scotia Public Service Commission - Career opportunities

The Nova Scotia Public Service Commission offers information about careers with the Government of Nova Scotia and features a searchable listing of job opportunities that are currently available.

Career Starts - Post Secondary Internship Program

Participants of this program will receive full-time work in a Nova Scotia government department or agency in a field related to their education.

Co-operative Employment Program

This program provides students with full-time work in a Nova Scotia government department or agency in a field related to their education. Terms are usually for four months to meet the needs of post secondary co-op programs, but some may be longer.

Career Starts - Summer Diversity Program

This program offers full-time work in a Nova Scotia government department or agency in a field related to your education. Terms are usually four months.

Employment Assistance Services

This is an employment program that provides funding to organizations to assist unemployed individuals to prepare for, obtain and maintain employment.

Seasonal or Temporarily Unemployed Workers - Feepayer Support

Feepayer Support is a program of Employment Nova Scotia which allows laid off workers to invest in their own training if they choose and continue to draw out their regular Employment Insurance benefits while in training. Since these workers will not receive additional financial support for their training-related costs, they are referred to as "feepayers."

Feepayer Program

The Feepayer program offers unemployed eligible participants an opportunity to attend training while they still qualify to receive their regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits. A feepayer participant must be prepared to pay their own training expenses.

Job Creation Partnerships

Job Creation Partnerships is an employment program of Employment Nova Scotia that supports projects that provide eligible individuals with work experience leading to enhanced employment- related skills.

Targeted Wage Subsidies

Targeted Wage Subsidies helps unemployed eligible individuals to enhance their skills and improve their employability. Targeted Wage Subsidies provide employers with financial assistance towards the wages of eligible individuals whom they hire.

Self Employment

Self-Employment is an employment program of Employment Nova Scotia that provides financial assistance to eligible individuals to help them create jobs for themselves by starting a business.

Targeted Initiative for Older Workers

This initiative was developed to aid unemployed older workers in communities affected by significant workforce downsizing or workplace closures through programming aimed at reintegrating them into employment.

Student Employment Program (SEP)

The purpose of this program is to support meaningful work experience for post-secondary students in their field of study. This experience helps students qualify for full time employment upon graduation, while enhancing their skills for their chosen career.

Housing Internship Initiative for First Nations and Inuit Youth (HIIFNIY)

This youth employment initiative provides work experience and on-the-job training for First Nations and Inuit youth to assist them in pursuing long-term employment in the housing industry. Housing Internships are available to First Nations and Inuit youth who have an eligible sponsor. The key requirement for this program is that the work experience and on-the-job training must be related to housing activities, such as but not limited to: housing administration, construction, renovation, maintenance and client counseling.

First Nations and Inuit Summer Work Experience Program

The First Nations and Inuit Summer Work Experience Program provides youth with opportunities for summer employment, so that they can gain work experience, and develop or enhance essential employability skills—the critical skills needed in the workplace, such as communication, problem-solving and teamwork. In addition, these summer work placements allow youth to learn about career options and to earn income that may contribute to university or college education.

Federal Student Work Experience Program

FSWEP provides full-time students valuable, hands-on work experience related to their field of study and allows for a wealth of learning opportunities. Students obtain fair and equal access to job opportunities across the country. Although students are not required to have previous work experience to apply, they must meet the program's eligibility criteria.

Federal Internship for Newcomers Program

The Federal Internship for Newcomers (FIN) Program provides newcomers with valuable temporary Canadian work experience and training opportunities with federal government departments.

The Post-Graduation Work Permit Program

The Post-Graduation Work Permit Program allows students who have graduated from a participating Canadian post-secondary institution to gain valuable Canadian work experience.

Employment Insurance Special Benefits for Self-Employed People

This program provides various types of assistance to eligible employment insurance recipients who want to start their own business.

Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits

Employment Insurance (EI) provides Sickness Benefits to individuals who are unable to work because of sickness, injury, or quarantine.

Income Assistance (IA) program

This program provides people in financial need with assistance with basic needs such as food, rent, utilities like heat and electricity, and clothing. The program may also help you with other needs such as child care, transportation, prescription drugs, emergency dental care, and eye glasses.

Employment Support Services (ESS)

This program helps individuals on Income Assistance become more self-sufficient.

The Off-Campus Work Permit Program

The Off-Campus Work Permit Program allows certain foreign students to work off campus while completing their studies.

Canada Pension Plan Disability Vocational Rehabilitation Program

The Canada Pension Plan Disability Vocational Rehabilitation Program offers vocational counselling, financial support for training, and job search services to recipients of Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Disability Benefits to help them return to work.

To be eligible, you must also be receiving

• Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Disability Benefits