Creating jobs for everyone

As the province bounces back from the pandemic and recession, we need all hands on deck. There are thousands of unemployed Albertans out there who are eager to find a job and get back to work. I also know that within that group there are many who justifiably feel left out of the job market.

We know people from groups with higher levels of unemployment are being hit hard by the pandemic and recession. This includes people with disabilities who are already underrepresented in the job market, despite the skills and experience they bring to the table. We can’t stand by and let this trend continue. The Alberta Jobs Now program will help us reverse this trend, restart the economy and get thousands of Albertans back to work.

The Alberta Jobs Now program allows private and non-profit Alberta companies to apply for grants that cover 25% of an employee’s salary for a 52-week period, up to a maximum of $25,000 per employee. It also has an added incentive for hiring a person with a disability, where employers will receive a grant of up to $37,500. This program helps reduce the costs of hiring and training unemployed Albertans, and encourages more employers to create jobs.

Jobs training programs like this one make business owners more likely to hire Albertans with higher levels of unemployment, like women, recent immigrants and people with disabilities. This program gives these Albertans greater opportunities to be hired, and to receive the training and experience they need to keep a good-paying, skilled job.

Since launching earlier this year, the Alberta Jobs Now program has approved about 2,700 applications from employers, totalling close to $182 million in allocated funds that are helping nearly 14,000 Albertans get back to work in the coming months.

The second intake of the program is open as of November 10. I strongly encourage all Alberta employers to apply for this great opportunity.

While there may still be a long road ahead of us as we look beyond the pandemic and recession, I want you all to see that in the midst of this chaos, there are still opportunities for more of us to participate in Alberta’s recovery.

Learn more about the Alberta Jobs Now program at alberta.ca/jobsnow.