Workforce Retention and Retraining Program – Retraining Grant

Introducing the Workforce Retention and Retraining Program

The Workforce Retention and Retraining Program combines the Work-Sharing Program and the Retraining Grant (formerly the Worker Retention Grant) to help employers retain and retrain workers.

Special measures are extended to March 31, 2028, with expanded eligibility and program flexibilities. For more information visit Canada Strong: Government support programs for workers and businesses.

The Workforce Retention and Retraining Program – Retraining Grant is designed to enable employers with an approved and implemented Workforce Retention and Retraining Program - Work-Sharing agreement who commit to fostering training opportunities to provide additional income support to their Employment Insurance (EI) eligible employees who are working reduced hours and are on training. This Grant helps maintain employees’ income by keeping their earnings closer to their normal wages throughout the duration of the agreement. The grant will also provide training funding of up to $1,000 per eligible participant to support training and administrative costs, subject to program requirements.

Application period:: February 16, 2026, to December 31, 2027, at 3 pm EST
Funding amount:: Funding amounts will vary depending on the details of the Workforce Retention and Retraining Program - Work-Sharing agreement, such as the number of participating employees, the duration, and the reduction rate.
Who can apply:: Employers who meet the conditions of both components of the Workforce Retention and Retraining Program

How to apply

What this program offers: Describes the funding program and its objectives.
Who can apply: Describes the eligibility criteria for an applicant and how the application is assessed.
Prepare to apply: Information you need to provide for each question in the application form and a list of supporting information to include with it.
Apply: Overview of how to apply and what happens after you apply.
Manage your Retraining Grant agreement: This page provides guidance for employers with an approved Retraining Grant project.

Help and contact information

FAQs

Workforce Retention and Retraining Program - Retraining Grant - Employee Annex

How to complete the Grant Calculator

Guide for completing the Workforce Retention and Retraining Program - Retraining Grant calculator form

This guide explains each section of the Workforce Retention and Retraining Program - Retraining Grant Calculator and provides step-by-step instructions to ensure the form is completed as accurately as possible to obtain a reliable estimated Grant supplement amount.

Please feel free to add more rows to the Excel sheet if you need to include additional employees.

If you have more than 100 employees and need a larger Excel file, just reach out to us at EDSC.DGOP.DMPJ.PMERMO-WRRP.WDY.POB.ESDC@servicecanada.gc.ca, and we'll be happy to help.

Please ensure to consult and share the 'Employee Annex' within the 'Grant Calculator' with the employees participating in the Workforce Retention and Retraining Program - Retraining Grant.

If you are an employer in Quebec, please use the tab indicated for Quebec employers to obtain the correct Mandatory Employment Related Costs (MERCs) rates.

Disclaimer: amounts obtained on this form are estimates and the amounts paid will be ultimately determined based on validated data.

1. Declaration section

This section confirms that the information you are submitting is truthful and accurate to the best of your knowledge.

How to complete this section

Name: enter the full name of the person completing the form
Date: enter the date the form is completed

2. Confidentiality statement

This section explains:

the authority under which the information is collected (Employment Insurance Act)
how the information will be used (administration, statistics, research)
where the information will be stored (Personal Information Bank HRSDC PPU 295)
your right to access your personal information under the Privacy Act and Access to Information Act

No action is required in this section - it is for information only.

3. Employer information

Name of employer

Enter the legal name of the employer applying for the Workforce Retention and Retraining Program – Retraining Grant.

4. Employee information table

This is the main section of the form. Each row represents one employee in the Work-Sharing Unit.

For each employee, complete the following fields:

A. Social insurance number

Enter the employee's 9 digits social insurance number (SIN) with no spaces.

B. Employee name

Enter the employee's full legal name (first and last name).

C. Workforce Retention and Retraining Program - Work-Sharing Unit

If applicable, enter the Work-Sharing Unit name or number
If the organization only has one unit, this may be left blank

D. Average Weekly Earnings per Employee

Enter the employee's average weekly earnings (AWE), before participating in the Workforce Retention and Retraining Program - Work-Sharing agreement
The amount must match what is provided in the Workforce Retention and Retraining Program - Work-Sharing application or internal payroll records

E. Employment insurance Benefit Rate

Enter the gross Employment Insurance (EI) benefit rate per week, as provided by the employee (from their EI Workforce Retention and Retraining Program - Work-Sharing benefit claim information).

Gross benefit rate is the dollar amount before any deductions are made (i.e. taxes). This is not the amount the employee receives from EI.

F. Reduction Rate

Enter the percentage reduction in the employee's working hours under the Workforce Retention and Retraining Program - Work-Sharing agreement (for example, 20%, 30%, 50%).

G. Number of grant weeks

Enter the total number of weeks requested for your grant period as per question 21 and question 22 on the application form. This cannot exceed the number of weeks remaining on your Workforce Retention and Retraining Program - Work-Sharing agreement or go beyond March 25, 2028.

H. Weekly supplement amount

This is the employer paid supplement per employee funded by the grant
It is calculated automatically using the reduction rate and EI benefit rate

I. Total supplement amount

This is calculated per employee automatically by multiplying the weekly supplement amount × grant duration.

5. Totals at the bottom of the form

These fields summarize the cost of the grant request.

Total for the supplement amount

It is the sum of the total supplement amount values for all employees.

Total for EI premiums

This is the employer's portion of Employment Insurance (EI) premiums
The total EI premium cost associated with the Work-Sharing period is automatically calculated

Total for Canada Pension Plan

This is the employer's portion of Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributions for the Workforce Retention and Retraining Program - Work-Sharing period. It is automatically calculated.

Amount to request from ESDC

This represents the total reimbursement the employer is requesting
It is automatically calculated as: supplement total + EI premiums + CPP contributions

6. Final Review Before Submission

Before submitting the form and the Grant Calculator:

provide all employees a copy of the 'Employee Annex'
ensure all employee information is complete and accurate
verify all formulas have calculated properly (in Excel)
ensure names and SINs are correct
make sure the declaration section is signed and dated)
attach the completed Excel grant calculator with the application

General information

Enquiries will be answered between February 16, 2026, to December 30, 2027, at 12 pm EST.
Email: EDSC.DGOP.DMPJ.PMERMO-WRRP.WDY.POB.ESDC@servicecanada.gc.ca

Technical help

Contact us by email at NA-GCOS-SELSC-GD@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca for technical help related to the Grants and Contribution Online Services (GCOS).

Accessibility and disability help

If you need help or accommodations, please contact us by December 24, 2027 at 12 pm EST.
Email: EDSC.DGOP.DMPJ.PMERMO-WRRP.WDY.POB.ESDC@servicecanada.gc.ca

Page details

2026-10-16