Protecting Manitobans
 

Manitoba Youth Jobs Program

PLEASE BE ADVISED: THIS PROGRAM IS NOW CLOSED.

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Overview

Manitoba Youth Jobs Program is designed to provide a flexible wage subsidy to Manitoba employers to create sustainable long-term, seasonal and short-term employment opportunities for Manitoba youth.

The program provides wage subsidies to permanent Manitoba-based non-profit organizations and private sector employers that hire eligible employees aged 29 and younger. Employers receive a 50% wage subsidy on all eligible wages earned by eligible employees up to a maximum funding of $25,000 per employer. The wage subsidy covers full pay periods that fall between May 1 and September 5, 2021. Employers are not limited in the number of eligible employees they can claim.

The program complements other federal and provincial government programs available to Manitoba employers in 2021, including the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, Canada Emergency Hiring Program, Canada Summer Jobs and the Manitoba Green Team program. Employers that are participating in a different government program may receive funding to hire additional employees. Employees who had their wages subsidized by another program during or before their participation in Manitoba Youth Jobs Program are not eligible.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Legal action may be pursued in cases of fraudulent applications/fraudulent claims.

 


Key Dates

The earliest an employee can be hired to qualify under the program

April 1, 2021

Application opens

April 29, 2021

Earliest the pay period must start to qualify under the program

May 1, 2021

Deadline to claim an advance payment - UPDATED

August 15, 2021

Final claim application opens - UPDATED

August 16, 2021

**Application deadline**

**CLOSED**

The latest a pay period must end to qualify under the program

September 5, 2021

**Deadline to submit final claim**

**September 30, 2021**


Final Claim Process

Eligible employers are required to submit a final claim for all eligible employees.

Final claims deadline: September 30, 2021.

Claims will not be accepted after the deadline.

 

Eligible employers will have received email directions on how to submit their final claim for all eligible employees under the program.  Employers must include all employees they are claiming under the program in one final claim submission.

Final payments will be made through Electronic Funds Transfer.

Important:

  • Employers are responsible for ensuring their final claim submission is complete and does not contain any errors.
  • Employers will not be permitted to amend their final claim submission, including adding or exchanging employees.


Supporting Document Reference Tables

Employee eligibility reference table:

The table below outlines that various documents employers can use to demonstrate their compliance with program eligibility requirements.

Document Type:

Eligibility Criteria

Employee Age Eligibility

Manitoba Residency

Eligible Start Date

Insurable Employment/
Employment standards compliance

Eligible to Work in Canada

Record of Employment (ROE)

 

X

X

 

 

Third Party Pay Stub

X

X

X
First paystub with Year to Date Amounts

X

 

Internal Pay Stub

X

X

X
First paystub with Year to Date Amounts

X

 

Letter/Email with Start Date

 

 

X

 

 

Drivers license

X

X

 

 

 

Work Permit

 

 

 

 

X

Employer Proof of Payment Reference Tables

The table below outlines the various payroll documents required to demonstrate proof of wages paid based on an employer’s payroll system:

 

Requirement #1

Requirement #2

Requirement #3

Option 1
Certified third-party payroll system.
Examples:

  • Ceridian
  • PayWorks
  • ADP
  • IBEX

First and last paystub from the program employment period
Both paystubs must include Year to Date (YTD) amounts for hours and wages.
If YTD amounts are not included, paystubs are required for the entire program employment period.

 

 

Option 2
Internal payroll system
(non-certified third party)

First and last paystub from the program employment period.
Both paystubs must include YTD amounts for hour and wages.
If YTD amounts are not included, paystubs are required for the entire program employment period.

Proof of wages paid by providing one of the following:

  • Copy of cheque register confirming last cheque issued during the program employment period;
  • Proof of direct deposit confirming last payment issued during program employment period; or
  • Record of Employment (ROE)

 

Option 3
Paystubs are hand written

Each paystub from the program employment period.
All paystubs must include YTD amounts for hours and wages.
If YTD amounts are not included, paystubs are required for the entire program employment period.

Proof of wages paid by providing one of the following:

  • Copy of cheque register confirming last cheque issued during the program employment period;
  • Proof of direct deposit confirming last payment issued during program employment period; or
  • Record of Employment (ROE)
  • Time sheets for the entire program employment period

For any questions pertaining to the required documentation for final claim submissions, please contact YouthJobs@gov.mb.ca for clarification.



Program Period

The wage subsidy covers full pay periods that entirely fall between May 1 and September 5, 2021.

  • The earliest a pay period must start to qualify is May 1, 2021.
  • The latest a pay period can end to qualify is September 5, 2021.

Partial pay periods that fall outside of these dates are not eligible.

Pay period definition: This is the period of time the employee performed work. Pay periods can be weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly or monthly. Paystubs should clearly outline the start and end of the pay period.

NOTE: program caseworkers will require first and last pay stubs regardless of full pay periods in order to assess start and end date for employees.



Eligible Wages

Eligible wages include all regular, overtime and statutory holiday wages, including for hourly and salaried employees.

Commissioned sales persons with a minimum wage guarantee are eligible under the program; however, the program will only subsidize their hourly wage.



Ineligible Wages

Payments not related to hourly/salaried wages are not eligible including, but not limited to, bonuses, incentives/commissions, remote pay, meal allowances, travel allowance and lodging.

The program does not reimburse any Mandatory Employer Related Costs (MERCs) employers are required by law to pay including:

  • Employment Insurance premiums and Canadian Pension Plan contributions
  • Vacation Pay
  • Workers’ Compensation premiums or equivalent liability insurance (if applicable)
  • Health and Post-Secondary Education Tax Levy (HE Levy)


Eligible Employers

To qualify under the program, an employer must meet all of the following requirements:

  • Employers must be an active and permanent Manitoba-based business or organization physically operating in the Province of Manitoba as a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, co-operative, non-share corporation, not-for-profit organization or registered charity.
  • Possess an active and valid Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) issued Business Number/Charity Registration Number.
  • Be in good standing with the Manitoba Companies Office at the time their application is assessed (not required for sole proprietors, registered charities)
  • Have a valid bank account with a Canadian financial institution. When applying to the program, employers must submit a void cheque/direct deposit form from their financial institution.  The bank account holder name must be associated with the Business Number you submit.
  • Have an active email address and maintain communication with the program.

Employers that do not meet all of the eligibility requirements at the time of their application will not be accepted into the program. Rejected applicants can re-submit a new application for re-assessment until the application deadline.



Employers Not Eligible

In the unlikely event that Manitoba pays more than the employer is entitled to receive under the program, the extra amount will be considered to be an overpayment. Any overpayment must be repaid by the business to Manitoba as soon as Manitoba asks the employer to pay it.



Eligible Employees

To be eligible under the program, the employee must:

  • Be a current Manitoba resident eligible to work in Manitoba. .
  • Be a young person aged 29 and younger as of May 1, 2021 (birth date no earlier than May 2, 1991).
  • Be directly employed by the applicant employer in ‘insurable employment’ for the purposes of establishing entitlement to Employment Insurance (EI) benefits. For more information about ‘insurable employment’, visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/canada-pension-plan-cpp-employment-insurance-ei-rulings/cpp-ei-explained/canada-pension-plan-employment-insurance-explained-8.html
  • Be a new hire, having started working for the employer no earlier than April 1, 2021. Employees that were employed in the previous three-month period before April 1 are not eligible. The employee is allowed to be a re-hire from a previous year.
  • Not have any of their wages subsidized by another government grant or wage subsidy program before or during their participation in the Manitoba Youth Jobs Program. This includes but is not limited to:
    • Grant funding from a municipality or a provincial/federal department/crown corporation/agency
    • Canada Recovery Hiring Program (new program announced in 2021 Federal Budget)
    • Canada Summer Jobs
    • Manitoba Green Team Program

Note: Employers are allowed to claim other wage subsidy programs for wages paid to the employee after their participation in the Manitoba Youth Jobs Program has ended.

  • Temporary foreign workers legally entitled to work in Canada are eligible under the program. Employers are required to retain copies of work permits for these workers and provide to government officials when requested.

Employers are responsible for ensuring employees meet the eligibility requirements.



Employees Not Eligible

The following employees are not eligible under the program:

  • Individuals 30 years of age or older as of May 1, 2021.
  • An immediate family member or an individual who lives with someone who has a direct financial interest in the business (owner, major shareholder), board member, director, executive member of the applicant organization or any person who is involved in the hiring or responsible for the supervision of the employee.
    Immediate family definition: This is a person's smallest family unit, consisting of their closest relatives, such as parents, spouse, siblings and children. This includes biological, adopted and relatives through marriage.
  • Employees who were employed by the applicant employer in the three-month period immediately before April 1, 2021 (i.e., employed by the company January, February or March).
  • Employees who had their wages subsidized by another government program before or at the same time as the Manitoba Youth Jobs Program.
  • Employees hired that result in the lay-off, reduction of hours or dismissal of any current employees.
  • Self-employed individuals, independent contractors or sub-contractors. Workers must be employees of the applicant employer to be eligible.
  • Individuals with a financial interest in the applicant business/organization. Owners are not eligible to receive reimbursement for wages paid to themselves.
  • Individuals not legally entitled to work in Canada.


Financial Support

The wage subsidy covers 50% of all eligible wages earned over the program period, to a maximum funding of $25,000 per employer.



Application Process ***CLOSED***



Advance Payment

Advance Payments are now closed for this program



For General Inquiries

Call: 204-45-3744 or 1-866-626-4862 (Toll-Free)

Email: mgi@gov.mb.ca