Employment Insurance

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In January, 698,800 people received regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, down 47,700 from December, the fourth consecutive monthly decline. The number of beneficiaries fell in every province, with the most pronounced declines in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec.

With the decrease in the number of beneficiaries since June 2009, more than a third of the increase that took place between October 2008 and June 2009 has been offset.

To receive EI benefits, individuals must first submit a claim. In January, there were 239,100 initial and renewal claims received, down 20,200 from December. Claims fell in every province except Newfoundland and Labrador. The largest decline was in Ontario (-8,200). The number of claims provides an indication of the number of people who could become beneficiaries.

The number of initial and renewal claims received has been on a downward trend since May 2009, with declines in every province.

Fewer beneficiaries in all provinces

In Ontario, the number of people receiving regular benefits amounted to 227,400 in January, down 22,000 from December. This brought the total decline since June 2009 to 59,200. During this period, employment in Ontario increased in professional, scientific and technical services; finance, insurance, real estate and leasing; educational services; manufacturing; as well as construction.

In Alberta, the number of EI recipients totalled 57,600 in January, down 10,000 from December. It was the third decrease in a row.

In British Columbia, the number of regular beneficiaries fell by 6,100 to 81,500, which was 12,700 below the level of June 2009. Employment in the province has increased in a number of industries since June 2009, most notably finance, insurance, real estate and leasing.

The number of beneficiaries in Quebec fell for the fourth consecutive month, decreasing by 2,800 to 193,900. Since June 2009, the number of beneficiaries has declined by 16,100. During this time, employment gains were most notable in finance, insurance, real estate and leasing, in retail and wholesale trade, and in public administration.

Sub-provincial and demographic overview

More large centres than in previous months showed a lower number of EI beneficiaries

Employment Insurance data by sub-provincial region, sex and age are not seasonally adjusted. Therefore, they are compared on a year-over-year basis.

While the majority of large centres recorded an increase in their number of regular beneficiaries between January 2009 and January 2010 (see map), more large centres than in previous months showed declines. Large centres are those with a population greater than 10,000.

In Ontario, the number of EI recipients declined in 6 of 41 large centres, most notably in Woodstock, Midland, Guelph and Tillsonburg. In Greater Sudbury, the number increased by 2,300 to 5,700. This gain coincided with a decline in employment in a number of industries, particularly in the natural resources sector. In Toronto, the number of EI recipients rose by 17,100, or 20.8%, to 99,300. This was the slowest year-over-year increase since September 2008.

In Alberta, the number of regular beneficiaries increased in all 12 large centres, at least doubling in 8. In contrast, the number virtually doubled in all 12 during the year-long period ending in December 2009. The fastest year-over-year percentage increases were in Brooks and Grande Prairie. In Calgary, the number of people receiving regular benefits increased by 11,400 to 20,700, while in Edmonton, it rose by 9,500 to 18,500.

In British Columbia, the number of beneficiaries decreased in 3 of its 25 large centres: Powell River, Port Alberni, and Duncan. Still, the majority of large centres in British Columbia experienced year-over-year increases, particularly in Fort St. John. In Vancouver, the number of people receiving regular benefits increased by 11,800 to 38,400 and in Victoria, it rose by 1,400 to 4,800.

The number of regular beneficiaries declined in more than half of Quebec's 33 large centres, most notably in Val-d'Or, Saint-Georges, Sept-Îles, and Magog. This was in sharp contrast with most of 2009, when there were few centres with year-over-year declines. In Montréal, the number of recipients rose by 12,700 to 86,500, the largest increase of all centres in the province. In the census metropolitan area of Québec, the number rose by 900 to 16,000.

Larger increases in the number of beneficiaries among women

In January 2010, the year-over-year rate of growth in the number of EI regular beneficiaries was faster among women (+20.6%) than among men (+12.8%). In contrast, during most of 2009, the number of male EI beneficiaries grew at a much faster pace than for women.

During this year-long period, the fastest increase in the number of EI beneficiaries was among people aged 55 and over. Their numbers rose by 21.9% to 164,800. The increase among older women was 29.0%, compared with 18.7% among their male counterparts.

The number of recipients under 25 rose three times faster among women than men. However, in January 2010, there were 22,600 young women receiving benefits, well below the level of 74,300 young men.

Available on CANSIM: tables 276-0001 to 276-0006, 276-0009, 276-0011, 276-0015 and 276-0016.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2604.

Data tables are also now available online. From the Subject module of our website, choose Labour.

Data on Employment Insurance for February will be released on April 22.

A set of maps, Employment Insurance Statistics Maps, January 2010 (73-002-X, free), is now available online. The maps show percent changes in the number of people receiving regular EI benefits for all census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations in Canada. From the Key resource module of our website, under Publications, choose All subjects, then Labour.

For more information, or to order data, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-866-873-8788; 613-951-4090; labour@statcan.gc.ca). To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Dominique Pérusse (613-951-4064) or Vincent Ferrao (613-951-4750), Labour Statistics Division.