Supporting Employees Who Deploy: The Case for Financial Assistance to Employers of Military Reservists

Abstract:     
Military reservists have become a vital component of Canada’s forces at home and abroad, and like their counterparts in the regular forces, provide a service for all Canadians. However, owing to recent federal and provincial job protection legislation, employers of reservists tend to bear a disproportionate share of the costs when their employees are deployed overseas or domestically. If reservists choose to take on full-time military duties, their civilian employer’s search for a temporary replacement worker of equal skill represents a genuine and potentially significant cost. An unintended consequence of the current policy framework is that relationships among employers, reservist employees, and the military can be eroded.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 16

Keywords: Canadian military, Canadian Forces, military reservists, Canadian employers, Department of National Defence

JEL Classification: H56, F52

Accepted Paper Series