Social services to help low-income families with new employment incentive

A new initiative from Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Social Services is aiming to make life more affordable for low-income families across the province.

The ministry said its new Saskatchewan Employment Incentive will launch “early in the new year” to provide financial benefits, supplementary health benefits, employment connections and housing support.

The ministry said the incentive will be available for parents who are leaving income-assistance programs for the workforce, and those who are trying to remain in the workforce.

The new incentive, which was unveiled in the throne speech, is designed to make employment more viable than relying on income assistance programs for low-earning families and parents.

“Working parents who have employment income of $500 per month may be eligible for a monthly benefit of $400, $500 or $600, depending on the number of children they have,” the ministry explained in a statement.

The new program will replace both the Saskatchewan Employment Supplement and Child Care Subsidy, and the ministry said it will support eligible clients as they transition to the new system in the year ahead.

Gene Makowsky, Saskatchewan’s minster of social services, said the new incentive furthers the government’s goals of strengthening the economy, communities and families.

“By helping parents enter and stay in the workforce, this program will have lasting, positive impacts on the quality of life for families with lower incomes,” Makowsky said in a statement.

Makowsky said working parents often incur significant costs for things like child care and transportation, which can add financial pressure to families and make life more difficult.

“This new program supports families to manage those extra pressures so they are better off working rather than on other income assistance programs,” the minister added.

More information on the employment incentive is expected to be released closer to the program’s launch in 2024.