Employment and Social Development
How Employment and Social Development spent its budget in fiscal year 2023-24, shown as net expenditures by standard object from Public Accounts Volume II.
Established in 2005, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is a federal department responsible for supporting Canadians through social programs and workforce development. It administers key programs such as Employment Insurance (EI), the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Old Age Security (OAS), and skills training initiatives, and it oversees Service Canada, which delivers government services directly to the public.
Department Spending
In FY 2023-24,
$94.48B
was spent by Employment and Social Development
In FY 2023-24,
18.1%
of federal spending was by Employment and Social Development
On the consolidated accrual basis (Volume I), this portfolio’s expenses were $124.37B in FY 2023-24 — see the overview and methodology.
ESDC spent $94.48B in fiscal year (FY) 2024, or 18.1% of the $521.4 billion in overall federal spending, making it one of the highest-spending federal departments.
Spending by entity, FY 2023-24
Department of Employment and Social Development
Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
$94.44B
$21.6M
$15M
The bulk of ESDC's spending flows directly to individuals and provinces as statutory transfers rather than departmental operations. In FY 2024 the largest were Old Age Security ($57.4 billion) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement ($18.0 billion), followed by transfers to provinces and territories for early learning and child care ($6.2 billion) and Canada Student Grants ($2.7 billion). Employment Insurance and the Canada Pension Plan operate through separate accounts and fall outside the department's spending shown here.
Employment and Social Development’s share of federal spending
Percentage of federal spending, 1995–2025
The department's spending is sensitive to economic conditions and major legislation. Federal income-support programs drove a sharp, temporary increase during the COVID-19 pandemic before spending returned to lower levels in the years that followed.
How did Employment and Social Development spend its budget in 2023-24?
The department is led by the Minister of Jobs and Families, who is appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister and sworn into office at Rideau Hall as a member of the King's Privy Council for Canada. The minister is one of the cabinet members who serve at the Prime Minister's discretion, remaining in the role until a successor is sworn in.
Line items
Every transfer-payment (grant and contribution) program, in dollars. These are the named programs behind the transfer-payments object in the chart above. Search, sort, and download the full table.
| Category | Description | Amount ▼ |
|---|---|---|
| Grants | Old Age Security Payments (R.S.C., 1985, c. O-9) | $57,444,856,822 |
| Grants | Guaranteed Income Supplement Payments (R.S.C., 1985, c. O-9) | $18,030,935,781 |
| Other transfer payments | Payments to provinces and territories for the purpose of Early Learning and Child Care | $6,179,192,877 |
| Grants | Canada Student Grants to qualifying full and part-time students pursuant to the Canada Student Financial Assistance Act | $2,674,008,983 |
| Contributions | Payments related to the direct financing arrangement under the Canada Student Financial Assistance Act | $1,379,984,379 |
| Grants | Canada Education Savings grant payments to Registered Educations Savings Plan trustees on behalf of Registered Educations Savings Plan beneficiaries to encourage Canadians to save for post-secondary education for their children (Canada Education Savings Act) | $1,056,760,569 |
| Contributions | Payments to provinces, territories, municipalities, other public bodies, organizations, groups, communities, employers and individuals for the provision of training and/or work experience, the mobilization of community resources, and human resource planning and adjustment measures necessary for the efficient functioning of the Canadian labour market | $926,676,790 |
| Other transfer payments | Workforce Development Agreement | $922,000,000 |
| Contributions | Contributions to provincial/territorial governments, band councils, tribal councils, Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program agreement holders, municipal governments, not-for-profit organizations, professional associations, business and private sector organizations, consortia, industry groups, unions, regulatory bodies, ad-hoc associations, public health institutions, school boards, universities, colleges, CEGEPs, sector councils, and cross-sectoral councils to support enhanced productivity and competitiveness of Canadian workplaces by supporting investment in and recognition and utilizations of skills | $815,038,509 |
| Grants | Allowance payments (R.S.C., 1985, c. O-9) | $608,695,612 |
| Grants | Canada Disability Savings Grant payments to Registered Disability Savings Plan issuers on behalf of Registered Disability Savings Plan beneficiaries to encourage long-term financial security of eligible individuals with disabilities (Canada Disability Savings Act) | $497,774,642 |
| Contributions | Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Transformation Initiative | $277,359,068 |
| Grants | Canada Disability Savings Bond payments to Registered Disability Savings Plan issuers on behalf of Registered Disability Savings Plan beneficiaries to encourage long-term financial security of eligible individuals with disabilities (Canada Disability Savings Act) | $185,889,682 |
| Grants | Canada Learning Bond payments to Registered Education Savings Plan trustees on behalf of Registered Education Savings Plan beneficiaries to support access to post-secondary education for children from low-income families (Canada Education Savings Act) | $176,013,974 |
| Contributions | Contributions to not-for-profit, for-profit, and Indigenous organizations, municipal, provincial and territorial governments for adult learning, literacy and essential skills | $136,890,381 |
Explore other federal departments
Employment and Social Development figures are net expenditures by standard object from Public Accounts Volume II, and will not match the Volume I consolidated headline totals. See the methodology for details.
