Tedds, Lindsay M.Berezowski, Taylor2021-12-212021-12-212020-12-09Berezowski, T. (2020). Drilling Deeper into Social Welfare Policy: How Wage Insurance Can Help Alberta's Unemployed Petroleum Sector Workers (Unpublished master's project). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB.http://hdl.handle.net/1880/114205Structural economic changes to Canada’s oil and gas (O&G) sector have created high and sustained levels of unemployment in the province of Alberta. High reservation wages prevent some unemployed O&G workers from accepting lower paying jobs, leading to short- and long-term reductions to their personal savings, mental wellness, and community welfare at large. An income assistance program called wage insurance can help temper the earnings losses these workers face, incentivizing them to accept lower paying work and access on-the-job training opportunities faster. Wage insurance can help displaced O&G workers comfortably transition into new careers and improve social outcomes in the province of Alberta. This Capstone research paper discusses the merits, policy design considerations, implementation challenges and political perceptions of a wage insurance program to help support unemployed O&G workers in their quest toward a new normal.enreport