Quiz

To the question: What was the share of new mothers who received an employer top-up to their maternity leave benefits (Employment Insurance/Quebec Parental Insurance Plan) in 2008? A. One in five, B. One in three, or C. Half

The correct answer is A: Of all new mothers (262,000) who reported receiving paid maternity and/or parental leave benefits [Employment Insurance/Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (EI/QPIP)], 51,000 received an employer top-up to these benefits, representing one in five EI/QPIP beneficiaries.

In 2008, top-ups lasted for an average of 19 weeks with average payments of $300 per week, such that employers collectively paid out more than $290 million towards supplementary benefits for mothers.

Chart - Financial compensation of new mothers in 2008

1. Federal- or Quebec-paid maternity or parental leave; includes the self-employed.
2. Excludes the self-employed and unpaid family workers.
Source: Statistics Canada, Employment Insurance Coverage Survey.

Source: Employer top-ups - HTML | PDF 

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