EI system leaving gig workers behind, food banks warn

Canada's employment insurance system is designed for a workforce that barely exists anymore, according to Food Banks Canada's latest poverty report.

As the labour market has shifted toward part-time, temporary, and contract work, EI eligibility rules remain locked to a shrinking population of workers with stable, full-time employment under a single employer. The gap is creating a crisis: workers taking gig work or juggling multiple jobs struggle to qualify for EI even when they have consistent income.

Food Banks Canada chief executive Kirstin Beardsley calls the outdated EI system "one of the greatest threats to Canada's resiliency" as unemployment remains elevated and households strain under the cost of living.

The core problem sits in eligibility requirements. Workers must accumulate a set number of insurable hours within a fixed period. Irregular hours, multiple employers, and contract work make that calculation nearly impossible, even for people earning steady income. The result: many workers facing greater income instability are excluded entirely.

EI currently bridges about 55 per cent of average insurable weekly earnings for workers between jobs. Someone earning $68,900 annually would receive a maximum of $729 per week—a gap that forces households deeper into poverty when work dries up.

The report signals what gig workers have known for years: the system was built for a different economy. Whether Ottawa will respond is another question.