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Employment Insurance Coverage Survey
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In 2008, 571,800 unemployed individuals had contributed to the Employment Insurance (EI) program and had had a valid job separation. Of those, 82.2% were eligible to receive regular EI benefits because they had worked enough hours. The remaining 17.8% had not worked enough hours to be able to receive regular EI benefits.
Table 1
| 2008 | ||
|---|---|---|
| number | % of unemployed | |
| Unemployed1 | 1,094,600 | 100.0 |
| Contributors | 767,100 | 70.1 |
| Non-contributors | 327,500 | 29.9 |
| Potentially eligible2 | 571,800 | 52.2 |
| Not potentially eligible | 522,800 | 47.8 |
| Eligible as a proportion of EI contributors who had a job separation that met the program criteria3 | 469,700 | 82.2 |
The number of insured hours required to qualify for regular benefits varies across regions in Canada, ranging from 420 to 700 hours, depending on the unemployment rate of that region. The higher the unemployment rate, the lower the number of hours required to qualify for benefits.
The 571,800 unemployed individuals who had contributed to the EI program and had had a valid job separation are considered "potentially eligible" for regular employment insurance benefits. These accounted for 52.2% of the 1.1 million unemployed Canadians.
The remaining 47.8% of unemployed individuals were "not potentially eligible" for a variety of reasons, with the main reason being that they had not worked in the 12 months prior to unemployment. This group represented a little over one-quarter of the unemployed (25.5%). Another 17.9% of the unemployed had left their job for a reason not deemed valid by the EI program.
Note to readers
The Employment Insurance Coverage Survey sheds light on the coverage of the Employment Insurance (EI) program. It provides a picture of who does or does not have access to EI benefits as well as maternity, parental and adoption benefits.
To be potentially eligible to receive regular benefits, unemployed individuals have to contribute to the EI program and must meet the criteria for job separation. Job separations that are deemed invalid include quitting the job voluntarily (including to go to school), illness or disability, pregnancy, other family related issues, dissatisfaction with the job, and retirement. Contributors to the EI program with valid job separations who have accumulated enough hours are eligible to receive regular EI benefits.
The survey is administered to a sub-sample of respondents of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) four times a year, namely in April, July, November and January. The respondents are asked questions about their situation with respect to the LFS reference week in the month prior to being interviewed (March, June, October and December respectively).
In 2008, the total sample size was 11,673 people, composed of unemployed individuals (as defined by the LFS) and other individuals who, given their recent status in the labour market, were potentially eligible for EI. This sample included 2,005 respondents who were unemployed during the LFS reference week. In addition, 1,245 women who had a child of less than one year old were interviewed.
The survey is conducted on behalf of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.
Maternity and parental benefits
Nationally, the number of women who had a child up to a year old increased 2.6% to nearly 387,000 in 2008. Over three-quarters (77.0%) of these women had insurable employment, while 23.0% did not. More than half of the group that did not have insurable employment had not worked in the previous two years.
In all, 88.1% of mothers who had insurable employment received benefits in the form of maternity or parental benefits during their pregnancy, or after the birth or adoption of their child.
These benefits were from either the EI program or the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP). Slightly over two-thirds (67.8%) of mothers had received benefits, a proportion that remained relatively stable from 2003 to 2008.
The QPIP, which was introduced in 2006, continued to have a major impact on the number of fathers who claimed or intended to claim parental benefits. It included leave that applied exclusively to fathers. The proportion of fathers in Quebec who took or intended to take parental leave has nearly tripled since the introduction of the plan.
Nationally, the proportion of fathers who took or intended to take parental leave increased from 26.8% in 2007 to 28.2% in 2008. In 2005, 15.0% had claimed this type of leave.
This increase mainly reflects the trend in Quebec. In 2008, 74.9% of Quebec fathers took advantage of the plan, compared with 73.6% in 2007. Prior to the plan's introduction, 27.8% of fathers took parental leave in 2005.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 4428.
To order custom tabulations, for more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-800-461-9050; 613-951-3321; fax: 613-951-4527; ssd@statcan.gc.ca), Special Surveys Division.
Table 2
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| thousands | ||||||
| Unemployed1 | 1,224 | 1,188 | 1,123 | 1,039 | 1,030 | 1,095 |
| % | ||||||
| Contributors | 70.9 | 68.6 | 68.6 | 68.0 | 70.0 | 70.1 |
| Non-contributors | 29.1 | 31.4 | 31.4 | 32.0 | 30.0 | 29.9 |
| Potentially eligible | 57.1 | 53.5 | 55.2 | 52.6 | 54.3 | 52.2 |
| Received or will receive EI benefits | 44.8 | 40.9 | 43.3 | 40.3 | 41.0 | 39.7 |
| Did not receive benefits but were eligible2 | 3.2 | 2.2E | 2.7E | 3.1E | 3.7 | 3.2E |
| Did not accumulate enough hours of work to be eligible to receive benefits | 9.1 | 10.5 | 9.2 | 9.1 | 9.6 | 9.3 |
| Not potentially eligible | 42.9 | 46.5 | 44.8 | 47.4 | 45.7 | 47.8 |
| Left their last job for reasons not deemed valid | 13.9 | 15.1 | 13.4 | 15.4 | 15.7 | 17.9 |
| Had no insurable employment | 5.1 | 5.7 | 5.4 | 5.7 | 5.2 | 4.3E |
| Had not worked in the previous 12 months | 23.9 | 25.7 | 26.0 | 26.3 | 24.8 | 25.5 |
| Eligible as a proportion of EI contributors who had a job separation that met the program criteria | 84.0 | 80.4 | 83.4 | 82.7 | 82.3 | 82.2 |
Table 3
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| number | ||||||
| Mothers with a child aged 12 months or less | 326,800 | 350,200 | 376,000 | 364,800 | 376,800 | 386,900 |
| % | ||||||
| With insurable employment | 74.3 | 74.3 | 75.0 | 76.5 | 77.2 | 77.0 |
| Received maternity or parental benefits | 64.7 | 65.9 | 64.2 | 63.9 | 66.3 | 67.8 |
| From the Employment Insurance program | ... | ... | ... | 52.2 | 45.8 | 47.3 |
| From the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan | ... | ... | ... | 11.7 | 20.5 | 20.5 |
| Did not claim or receive maternity or parental benefits | 9.6E | 8.4 | 10.8 | 12.7 | 10.9 | 9.2 |
| Without insurable employment | 25.7 | 25.7 | 25.0 | 23.5 | 22.8 | 23.0 |
| Had not worked in the previous two years | 16.0 | 16.6 | 12.7 | 14.7 | 14.6 | 15.5 |
| Other (includes self-employed)1 | 9.6 | 9.1E | 12.3E | 8.8E | 8.2E | 7.5E |
