Employing Young Talent Incentive – Frequently Asked Questions

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If you’ve heard about the Employing Young Talent Incentive (EYTI), you may have some questions regarding eligibility or the logistics. We’ve put together some of the questions our team has received from employers, along with the answers. If you have any questions we didn’t address or if you’re interested in getting started, please contact us.

What is the Employing Young Talent Incentive (EYTI)?

The Employing Young Talent Incentive (EYTI) is a new government-funded initiative designed to help employers pay for the cost of hiring new employees, while also helping youth aged 15-29 take their first steps into the workforce. This financial incentive encourages employers to hire and retain young employees and is designed to benefit small-to-medium sized businesses.

How could EYTI benefit my business?

There are many benefits for employers participating in the EYTI program. In addition to the financial incentives that you’ll receive for hiring and retaining youth, you’ll also get access to VPI’s resources including job-matching support, pre-screening candidates, the ability to post jobs on VPI’s job board, and job retention assistance.

How much money could my business receive?

By hiring eligible youth, you can receive two $1000 incentives for a total of $2000—a $1000 hiring incentive and an additional retention incentive of $1000 after a six-month retention period.

What is the payment schedule?

EYTI is delivered through one of two Employment Ontario programs — Employment Service (ES) or Youth Job Connection (YJC). The payment schedule depends on which program your business and the youth candidate qualify for.

For ES, your business will receive an initial $1000 payment at the time of hire followed by an additional $1000 after a six-month retention period.

For YJC, your business will receive an initial $1000 payment at three months of retention followed by a an additional $1000 after six months of retention.

What are the employer eligibility requirements?

EYTI is delivered through one of two Employment Ontario programs—Employment Service (ES) or Youth Job Connection (YJC). To be eligible for the incentive, you must meet the requirements for one of the two programs.
ES employer eligibility:

  • At the time of hiring, the employer must have fewer than 100 employees. The definition of employees includes full-time, part-time, contract, temporary and casual workers.
  • For the first payment of $1000 to be received, the participant must be hired to work a minimum of 20 hours a week
  • To receive the final payment of $1000, the hired participant must be retained at 20 hours per week for six months from the start of employment
  • Youth hired must be Employment Services assisted and identified by a service provider

YJC employer eligibility:

  • Must retain hired youth for three months after the start date at 20 hours per week to receive incentive of $1000
  • To receive the final payment of $1000, the hired participant needs to be retained at 20 hours per week for six months after the employment start date
  • Youth hired must have been a participant of the YJC program and identified by a service provider

Employer eligibility requirements for both programs:

  • must be licensed to operate in Ontario and provide jobs in Ontario
  • cannot use the incentive to replace existing or laid-off employees
  • cannot be a federal, provincial, municipal government or agency or broader public-sector organization

What defines a small-to-medium sized business?

According to Employment Ontario, small-to-medium sized businesses are defined by the total number of employees within the company. Employees are defined as anyone working full-time, part-time, contract, temporary, casual and on-call. For the purposes of this program, a small-to-medium sized business consists of 100 employees or fewer. For incorporated companies with several locations or offices, the size of the business is determined by the number of employees within each incorporated unit.

Does the size of my company impact the amount of funding I am eligible for?

Company size is a requirement for Employment Services. Employers must have fewer than 100 employees (full-time, part-time, temporary) counted at the time the youth will start work. For incorporated organizations – all employees under same CRA # (corporate entity) are counted.

There are no restrictions on employer size for Youth Job Connection.

Who qualifies as a youth?

Employment Ontario defines youth as being anyone between the ages of 15 – 29.

What eligibility requirements must youth candidates meet before being hired?

EYTI is delivered through one of two Employment Ontario programs—Employment Service (ES) or Youth Job Connection (YJC). To be eligible for the incentive, the youth candidate must be a participant in one of these programs and must meet the eligibility requirements of their program:
ES youth candidate eligibility:

  • Unemployed and not enrolled in full-time training or education
  • Eligible to work in Canada
  • Resident of Ontario

YJC youth candidate eligibility:

  • Youth must be between the ages of 15-29 years old at the time of registration
  • Must not be employed or participating in any training or education program or must be returning to school in the fall
  • Faces barriers to employment
  • Eligible to work in Canada
  • Resident of Ontario

All youth employees must work a minimum of 20 hours per week to be eligible. People with disabilities are exempt from the minimum hours requirements.

Are seasonal hires eligible to receive incentives?

Yes! Seasonal hires are eligible candidates for the incentive program as long as they meet the candidate requirements for either Employment Services or Youth Job Connection and have been identified by a service provider.

Can I take advantage of this program in addition to other career/ employment/ training-related funding or programs provided by the government?

Yes, an employer may attain additional funding from other career, employment or training-related programs provided by the government. However, this additional funding may not be used in conjunction with EYTI or for the same individual or position during the duration of the program.

If the employee is terminated before the retention period is complete, does my business keep the hiring incentive?

Yes. The hiring incentive occurs at hire and is contingent on the employer’s eligibility, not the employee’s earnings.

Can I receive funding for multiple hires?

Yes, an employer can receive funding for multiple hires. But there is a funding cap of $50, 000 for each program to encourage a wider range of employers to access the services.

How can I find out if a candidate I’m considering hiring is eligible for EYTI?

The best way to find EYTI-eligible candidates is to contact us as incentives can only be received for youth who have received services from a designated Employment Ontario service provider.

For more information on how to apply or to find potential candidates, contact us today.

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