Canada. The number of EI beneficiaries declines

The number of people receiving regular Employment Insurance benefits declined 7,300 to 795,900 in November, with Quebec and British Columbia recording the largest decreases.

The number of regular EI beneficiaries peaked in June at 829,300. Since then, it has declined slightly. This is in contrast with the trend from October 2008 to June 2009, when monthly increases averaged 41,100 people.

Compared with 12 months earlier, the number of people receiving regular EI benefits was higher in November 2009 in all census metropolitan areas (CMAs). The pace of increase, however, has slowed. Over that period, the number of regular beneficiaries more than doubled in five CMAs: Calgary, Edmonton, Greater Sudbury, Saskatoon and Vancouver. In comparison, the number of beneficiaries had doubled in 14 CMAs in the 12-month period ending in June 2009.

The number of initial and renewal claims received in November amounted to 270,700, up slightly (+1,300 or +0.5%) from the previous month. Increases in Ontario and Alberta were mostly offset by decreases in Quebec and British Columbia. Despite this small increase, the number of EI claims received has been on a downward trend since peaking at 327,700 in May 2009, with declines in every province.
Number of beneficiaries down in most provinces

In November, the number of regular EI beneficiaries declined in seven provinces, with the largest declines in Quebec and British Columbia.

Quebec posted back-to-back declines, bringing the number of people on EI to 203,000. The number of beneficiaries was down 3,700 in November, after a decrease of 3,300 in October.

In British Columbia, the number of regular beneficiaries also declined for the second consecutive month (-1,200 in October and -2,100 in November). This brought the number of beneficiaries down to 94,300 in November.

The number of EI beneficiaries was up in Alberta for the third time in as many months, although the increase in November (+1,100) was smaller than those of the previous two months.

In Ontario, the number of EI beneficiaries was virtually unchanged over the last two months.

The number of beneficiaries declined in 7 of 33 large centres in Quebec.

In British Columbia, the number of beneficiaries increased in all large centres, albeit generally at a slower pace than in previous months. The fastest year-over-year percentage increases were in Fort St. John, Cranbrook and Vancouver. In Vancouver, the number of people receiving regular benefits doubled to 33,600, while it nearly doubled to 4,000 in Victoria. Employment losses over the period in British Columbia were mainly in manufacturing and construction.

In Alberta, the number of beneficiaries at least doubled in all large centres. The fastest year-over-year percentage increases were in Camrose, Grande Prairie, Brooks and Calgary. In Calgary, the number of people receiving regular benefits increased sharply from 4,600 to 18,700, while the number in Edmonton rose from 4,900 to 15,600. These steep increases coincided with year-over-year employment losses for the province in manufacturing; natural resources; retail and wholesale trade; and professional, scientific and technical services.

In Saskatoon, the number of beneficiaries doubled from 900 to 1,800 people.

(Source Statistics Canada, Jan. 22, 2010)

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