Better Jobs Ontario Tariff / Maintenance Changes

The 2025 Ontario provincial Budget committed to investing an additional $50M into the program in 2025-26 to support vocational and skills training to enable more people to transition into in-demand jobs and support key labour market needs. This new funding is meant to ‘fast-track’ training access for job seekers in trade-impacted sectors, helping to protect Ontario workers in the face of the U.S. tariffs. In addition to the $50M investment, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) is implementing additional policy guidelines and operational changes to better support job seekers.

Several changes have been made so that Better Jobs Ontario (BJO) can better support people negatively impacted by tariffs, including:

• All eligible applicants will now qualify for up to two years of training supports (previous maximum one year);
• All eligible applicants can now qualify for up to $35,000 for training longer than one year;
• Clients pursuing training in an area that has “good” or “very good” employment prospects (according the 3 year career profiles on the Ontario Labour Market Information “Career Explore” website) will be fast tracked by receiving a higher score on various suitability criteria; and
• BJO will only support training that has been accredited or approved by the respective regulatory body, when an entry to practice exam is required to work in a chosen occupation.

The changes and program guidelines will be in effect August 20, 2025. The program guidelines will be updated and posted to the Employment Ontario Partners’ Gateway (EOPG). Service providers will be notified of this change via the EOPG.

The ministry’s train-the-trainer model will be used to provide information on the revised Better Jobs Ontario program guidelines and updated operational forms.

To be eligible, individuals must:

• have been laid off and be unemployed or
• be from a low-income household and experiencing challenges attaching to the labour market.

In addition to the above criteria, individuals must:

• be a resident of Ontario.
• be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• not be ineligible as outlined in Section 2.3.6 Ineligible Individuals.
• demonstrate occupational demand for the skills training they are requesting with evidence of good employment prospects locally or within Ontario

Yes. There has been a change to the definition of interim job which may have an impact on who can be considered “laid-off and unemployed”. The following language was added to the definition: “In order for a job to be considered interim, the person would be employed in it for no longer than 12 months following their lay-off from their previous position. This change was made to clarify that the intention of an interim job is to temporarily accept work which is inconsistent with a person’s career goals.

There have also been 2 changes to the section describing low-income individuals. Previously people in the low-income stream had to be unemployed for 6 months; that is now changed to 12 weeks. Also, eligibility has been extended to those who have been engaging in unincorporated or incorporated self-employment with or without a business number for an average of 20 hours per week or less. Previously there had been a requirement that self-employment was unincorporated and without a business number.

The following notes were added to the description of eligibility:

1. Sections 2.3.1 to 2.3.6 should be reviewed in their entirety when considering someone’s eligibility for Better Jobs Ontario (BJO).
2. Decisions about eligibility will be made according to the person’s most recent attachment to the labour market.

Additionally, only those who have quit their job less than 12 months ago are ineligible for BJO support. Previously, ineligibility had extended to anyone who had quit or been dismissed from their last job (no matter how long ago they held that job) unless it was a low-income / Interim Job.

Career colleges that offer training for work in a regulated occupation, for which a license or registration with a professional body is required to practice, must be approved by the Superintendent of Career Colleges under the Policy Directive for career college programs that require regulator approval or accreditation. This policy requires career colleges to make the public aware of their program’s accreditation status.

Better Jobs Ontario (BJO) will only support training that has been fully accredited; if the program is pending regulator approval or accreditation it will not qualify for support under BJO. This is to ensure the quality of the training and protect the investment made by participants who ultimately want to work in the profession for which they have trained.

Service providers and ministry staff will be required ​to confirm that the Career College Search Service ​site does not indicate that the training is undergoing ​external program accreditation or approval with the ​word ‘pending’ in their title. Such training would not be approved for funding ​under Better Jobs Ontario (BJO) until full accreditation or approval is ​achieved.​

If someone is planning to pursue training that will lead to work with “good” or “very good” employment prospects (3-year career outlooks) as identified on the Ontario Labour Market Information website, they will automatically receive the highest possible score in the following sections: Active Job Search, Duration of Unemployment and Work History. This means that clients who have selected training with favourable labour market prospects (as demonstrated on the Ontario Labour Market website), can automatically receive up to 9 points in their suitability score to increase their chances of faster program access.

In addition, the Ministry has updated the Active Jobs Search and Duration of Unemployment criteria to reduce from 6 months to 12 weeks to obtain highest (3) points, 5 to 11 weeks to obtain medium (2) points and less than 4 weeks to obtain the lowest (1) point.

Finally, the Ministry has also updated the In-Demand Occupational Requirements criteria to indicate that an individual is deemed most suitable for training under the program if the chosen training will lead to certification in an occupation regulated by an external body and/or where entry to practice requirements is in place. These clients may receive the maximum (3) points. Medium (2) points will be awarded for training where a credential is required (degree, diploma, certificate, or micro-credential) and lowest (1) points may be awarded in exceptional circumstances where the training the client is pursuing does not require a credential.

No. The baseline Better Jobs Ontario suitability score continues to be 16. Individuals who meet or exceed the baseline score will be considered suitable for the Better Jobs Ontario program. Individuals who do not meet the baseline score of 16 may only be considered for Better Jobs Ontario in exceptional circumstances and/or may be redirected to other Employment Ontario and/or community programs and services. Suitability thresholds may be adjusted periodically based on evolving labour market needs and/or client demand.

Yes, the Better Jobs Ontario Eligibility and Suitability Assessment Tool (Matrix) will be updated in EOIS-CaMS on August 20th to reflect the changes for service providers to complete and submit as part of Better Jobs Ontario application packages.

As specified in the Application Recommendation and Checklist (ARC) form, every BJO application (except for Feepayers) must include a completed Better Jobs Ontario Eligibility and Suitability Assessment Tool from EOIS-CaMS. If the tool is not submitted, or submitted outside of EOIS-CaMS, the application must be sent back to the SP.

Yes, the Fast Track stream and Manufacturing Initiative have been eliminated from BJO to streamline the program. Individuals will instead be fast tracked through the Eligibility and Suitability Tool.

No, the TEER 1 occupations outlined in the Fast Track Addendum are no longer eligible for Better Jobs Ontario. Skills training may only be for NOC 2021 Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category 2, 3 or 4.

The Ministry will update the following public-facing guidelines and operational forms, on August 20th, 2025, to include both tariff and maintenance changes:

• Program Guidelines
• Application for Financial Assistance Form (PDF) and Information Sheet (89-1889E and 89-1889F)
• Application Recommendation and Checklist (ARC)
• Eligibility and Suitability Assessment Tool (in EOIS-CaMS)
• Feepayer Application and Email Attestation

The above documents will all be posted on the Employment Ontario Partners’ Gateway (EOPG) in both English and French.

The BJO Application for Financial Assistance (available in PDF or digital formats) must be completed by applicants requesting assistance under the BJO program. This form requests information on the applicant’s household income, desired training programs, and financial needs, and identifies the required documentation that must be submitted. The Information Sheet supports applicants to complete the application form by providing additional instructions.

The Application form and Information Sheet have been updated to reflect tariff-related program changes, including extending training duration to two years, and increasing funding to $35,000. In addition to these updates, the application has also been revised to streamline questions and ensure consistency as it relates to the recently launched BJO Application Recommendation and Checklist form.

The Better Jobs Ontario digital application will be updated on August 20th, 2025. Changes will include alignment with guidelines changes as well as streamlining content and improving usability. Clients with digital applications in progress will need to re-submit. The following messaging will be shared to SPs on myEOIS:

• IMPORTANT NOTICE: On August 20th, 2025, the Better Jobs Ontario program will be changing to provide enhanced support to Ontario workers and support economic resilience in the face of international trade challenges. Please contact your service provider if you have any questions regarding this incoming change.

The BJO Feepayer Application and Email Attestation has been updated to align with the most recent updates to the BJO Application for Financial Assistance.

Yes, the service provider’s role remains an integral part of the application process. It has not changed.

Yes, the following updates have been made to the Application Recommendation and Checklist (ARC) form to align with the program updates:

• Removed reference to the Fast Track Stream and Manufacturing Initiative
• Removed the following question: “If the applicant has received OSAP in the past, do they know if they are restricted?”
• Adding question about whether the applicant pursuing training in a program that is subject to a regulator’s approval in order to work in that occupation
• Added language about new $35,000 cap for training longer than one year in duration

Yes, service providers with new applicants to Better Jobs Ontario must include the new Application Recommendation and Checklist (ARC) form for all application packages.

No, service providers should only submit the documents outlined in Part 1 – Application Package Checklist of the Application Recommendation and Checklist (ARC) form. Documents not listed on the ARC form (i.e. – resumes, medical records etc.) should not be submitted in application packages.

Better Jobs Ontario (BJO) applicants will be required to use updated BJO forms once they are posted on August 20th.

No, there is no guidelines grace period. The guidelines are in effect as of August 20th and must be used to assess all BJO files going forward. Individuals applying for the previous Fast Track, should re-apply to be fast tracked through the suitability matrix.

No, there is no grace period. As of August 20th, individuals with a 900 Series Social Insurance Number are no longer eligible for Better Jobs Ontario.