{"id":46650,"date":"2012-04-10T18:40:02","date_gmt":"2012-04-10T22:40:02","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-05-01T16:03:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T20:03:30","slug":"what-are-my-rights-if-i-am-fired-or-laid","status":"publish","type":"publications-page","link":"https:\/\/www.cleo.on.ca\/en\/publications-page\/what-are-my-rights-if-i-am-fired-or-laid","title":{"rendered":"What&#8217;s a temporary layoff?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The ESA says you can be laid off without notice if it&#8217;s a temporary layoff.<\/p>\n<p>A temporary layoff happens when:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>your employer cuts back or stops your work,<\/li>\n<li>you earn less than half of what you normally earn in a work week, and<\/li>\n<li>your employer plans to bring you back to work and does not end your employment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Your employer can put you on a temporary layoff only if you agree that they can do this. For example, your employment contract might say that the employer can temporarily lay you off.<\/p>\n<p>And if you&#8217;re in a union, the rules depend on what&#8217;s in your collective agreement.<\/p>\n<h2>How long can a layoff be?<\/h2>\n<p>The ESA rules about temporary layoffs are complicated. There are rules about how long a temporary layoff can be. The general rule is that a temporary layoff can be up to 13 weeks out of 20 weeks in a row.<\/p>\n<p>In some situations, a layoff can be longer than that. For example, if your employer keeps paying into your group benefits plan, it can be up to 34 out of 52 weeks in a row.<\/p>\n<p>Or, if you&#8217;re <strong>not<\/strong> in a union, your employer can put you on an even longer temporary layoff if you agree to it <strong>in writing<\/strong>. This can be up to 51 weeks out of 78 weeks in a row.<\/p>\n<div class=\"box-teal\">\n<p>If you&#8217;re laid off, you might need to get legal advice about whether your employer has the right to put you on temporary layoff. See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cleo.on.ca\/en\/publications\/beenfired\/where-can-i-find-out-more-and-get-legal-help-1\">Where can I get help and information?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-46650","publications-page","type-publications-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What&#039;s a temporary layoff? - CLEO (Community Legal Education Ontario \/ \u00c9ducation juridique communautaire Ontario)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cleo.on.ca\/en\/publications-page\/what-are-my-rights-if-i-am-fired-or-laid\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What&#039;s a temporary layoff? - CLEO (Community Legal Education Ontario \/ \u00c9ducation juridique communautaire Ontario)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The ESA says you can be laid off without notice if it&#8217;s a temporary layoff. 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