Employment Insurance, July 2024
Released: 2024-09-19
In July, the number of Canadians receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits totalled 489,000, up 2.2% (+11,000) from a month earlier. This was the third consecutive monthly increase. Prior to these increases, the number of regular EI beneficiaries had held relatively steady since September 2023.
On a year-over-year basis, the number of regular EI beneficiaries was up by 44,000 (+10.0%) in July 2024.
Data from the Labour Force Survey show that in the three months to July, the unemployment rate increased 0.3 percentage points to 6.4%, as more people searched for work, while overall employment was steady. Compared with July 2023, the unemployment rate was up 0.9 percentage points and the number of unemployed people who had been laid off increased to 604,000 (+12.2%; +66,000) (not seasonally adjusted).
In general, variations in the number of EI beneficiaries can reflect changes in the circumstances of different groups, including those becoming beneficiaries, those going back to work, those exhausting their regular benefits, and those no longer receiving benefits for other reasons.
The number of regular Employment Insurance recipients is up among most major demographic groups
The number of regular EI beneficiaries increased both for men aged 55 and older (+3.1%; +2,500) and core-aged (25 to 54 years) men (+1.7%; +3,100) in July. This was the third consecutive month where the number of regular EI beneficiaries increased. There was essentially no change in July among young men aged 15 to 24.
The number of regular EI recipients rose in July among core-aged women (+3.1%; +3,700) and, for the third consecutive month, among women aged 55 and older (+2.2%; +1,100). The number of young women receiving regular EI benefits edged up 1.6% (+200) in the month.
On a year-over-year basis, the number of regular EI beneficiaries was up for all major demographic groups in July, led by core-aged women (+13.1%; +14,000), followed by men aged 55 and older (+10.1%; +7,600) and core-aged men (+9.8%; +17,000). Over the same period, the number of regular EI recipients also increased among young women (+7.4%; +900) and young men (+4.7%; +1,500).
More regular Employment Insurance recipients in several provinces
The number of regular EI beneficiaries rose in seven provinces in July. New Brunswick posted the largest proportional increase, followed by Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. In contrast, there were fewer people receiving regular EI benefits in Quebec. There was little change in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.
Nearly one-third (32.2%; 1,800) of the overall increase in the number of EI beneficiaries in New Brunswick in July (+23.7%; +5,700) was among regular EI beneficiaries who last worked in trades, transport and equipment operators and in related occupations.
The number of regular EI recipients in Alberta (+4.8%; +2,400) increased in July, following declines in four of the previous five months. In July, the increase was among beneficiaries aged 55 and older (+5.5%; +600) and among core-aged recipients (+5.4%; +1,800). On a year-over-year basis, the number of recipients in the province receiving regular EI benefits was up 15.7% (+7,200).
In Saskatchewan, the number of EI recipients receiving regular benefits rose 3.2% (+500) in July, the second increase in three months. The increase in July was primarily among core-aged recipients (+3.7%; +300). Compared with July 2023, the number of regular EI beneficiaries in the province was up 9.7% (+1,300).
In Ontario, the number of EI recipients receiving regular benefits increased 3.0% (+4,500) in July 2024, the third consecutive monthly increase. The increase in the month was mainly among core-aged women (+7.6%; +3,300). On a year-over-year basis, the number of regular EI beneficiaries in the province was up 24.2% (+31,000) and accounted for 69.3% of the total increase in Canada.
Quebec (-4.2%; -4,800) was the lone province with a decline in the number of regular EI recipients in July, following two consecutive monthly increases.
The number of regular Employment Insurance beneficiaries is up in most major occupational groups
On a year-over-year basis, the number of regular EI beneficiaries was up among those who last worked in most broad occupational categories in July, except for two: art, culture, recreation and sport (-13.5%; -2,000) and natural resources, agriculture and related production (-6.6%; -2,100) occupations.
The largest proportional increase from July 2023 to July 2024 was among regular EI recipients who last worked in occupations in manufacturing and utilities (+25.8%; +8,500), particularly as machine operators, assemblers and inspectors in processing, manufacturing, and printing (+44.3%; +6,400), and mostly in Ontario. Over the same period, there was also a notable increase in the number of EI beneficiaries who last worked in natural and applied sciences and related occupations (+24.0%; +6,700).
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Sustainable Development Goals
On January 1, 2016, the world officially began implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—the United Nations' transformative plan of action that addresses urgent global challenges over the following 15 years. The plan is based on 17 specific sustainable development goals.
Employment Insurance statistics are an example of how Statistics Canada supports reporting on global sustainable development goals. This release will be used to help measure the following goal:
Note to readers
Revisions to Employment Insurance statistics
With the July 18, 2024, release of May data, the seasonally adjusted series of Employment Insurance statistics were revised back to January 2000 to reflect the most recent seasonal factors as well as the 2021 Standard Geographical Classification (SGC). Also, data for Employment Insurance (EI) beneficiaries by occupation conforming to the 2021 National Occupational Classification were made available from January 2008 onwards.
Concepts and methodology
EI statistics are produced from administrative data sources provided by Service Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada. These statistics may, from time to time, be affected by changes to the Employment Insurance Act or administrative procedures.
EI statistics indicate the number of people who received EI benefits and should not be confused with Labour Force Survey (LFS) data, which provide estimates of the total number of unemployed people. There is always a certain proportion of unemployed people who do not qualify for benefits. Some unemployed people have not contributed to the program because they have not worked in the past 12 months or their employment was not insured. Other unemployed people have contributed to the program, but do not meet the eligibility criteria, such as workers who left their jobs voluntarily or those who did not accumulate enough hours of work to receive benefits.
All data in this release are seasonally adjusted, unless otherwise specified. To model the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, values for all series from March 2020 to December 2022 have been treated with a combination of level shifts and outliers to determine a seasonal pattern for seasonal adjustment. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.
The number of regular EI beneficiaries for the current month and the previous month is subject to revision.
The number of beneficiaries is all people who received regular EI benefits from July 14 to 20, 2024. This period coincides with the reference week of the LFS.
A census metropolitan area (CMA) and a census agglomeration (CA) are formed by one or more adjacent municipalities centred on a population centre. A CMA must have a total population of at least 100,000. A CA must have a population of at least 10,000. See Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021 for more information.
Next release
Data on EI for August will be released on October 24.
Products
More information about the concepts and use of Employment Insurance statistics is available in the Guide to Employment Insurance Statistics (). 73-506-G
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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