Education, learning and training: Research Paper Series
Postsecondary students receiving payments from the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) in 2020

In 2020, the federal government implemented the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) to provide financial support to employees, self-employed individuals and students directly affected by COVID-19.

The CERB was available for individuals who stopped working or were working reduced hours because of COVID-19, and who met various other eligibility criteria.^Note  CERB applicants received $2,000 for an initial four-week period and could reapply for additional periods, eventually extending to 28 weeks, for a maximum benefit of $14,000. The benefit covered the period from March 15 to September 26, 2020.

The CESB was available to students enrolled in a postsecondary educational program leading to a degree, diploma, or certificate, who were ineligible for the CERB or EI benefits, but met various other eligibility criteria.^Note  The benefit was active between May 10 and August 29, 2020. Eligible CESB applicants received $1,250 for an initial four-week period and could reapply for additional periods, up to 16 weeks, for a maximum benefit of $5,000. Additionally, applicants with a disability or dependant(s) could receive a benefit top-up, in which case they were eligible to receive $2,000 every four weeks, up to a maximum benefit of $8,000.

The CESB addressed a gap left by the CERB, which excluded students who were not employed at the start of the pandemic but would typically be looking for work during the summer of 2020. In 2019, for example, the Labour Force Survey showed that 69% of persons aged 20 to 24 who were full-time students in March 2019 and planned on returning to school in the fall were employed in August 2019.

This paper provides insights into the differences in the rate of receipt of CERB and CESB of postsecondary students who received emergency benefit payments in 2020. Emergency benefit receipt is examined along various educational and socio-demographic characteristics to highlight some of the key differences. The analysis is limited to Canadian citizens and permanent residents who were enrolled full-time or part-time in a public postsecondary institution in the fall of 2019 in a program leading to a degree, diploma, or certificate.^Note 

In this paper, “emergency benefits” is the general term to refer to either CERB, CESB, or both.

The majority of postsecondary students received emergency benefits

Almost two-thirds of postsecondary students (65.4%) received emergency benefits. This is likely because, at the start of the pandemic, students worked in industry sectors that were heavily impacted, and, by the summer, these industries had not sufficiently recovered so as to allow students to find summer jobs. The number of students aged 20 to 24 who were employed in May 2020 (276,200) was 42.3% lower than in May 2019 (478,600).

More students received CERB (41.9%) than CESB (28.7%), due, in part, to the fact that one of the eligibility requirements for CESB was that the individual could not apply for, receive, or qualify for CERB during the same eligibility period, but could qualify for different types of benefits in different eligibility periods. Therefore, only those students who were ineligible for CERB could apply for CESB. It was uncommon (5.2%) for students to receive both benefits.

Data table for Chart 1



Data table for chart 1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 1. The information is grouped by Type of emergency benefits received (appearing as row headers), Number of individuals, calculated using count units of measure (appearing as column headers).

Type of emergency benefits received	Number of individuals
	count
CERB Only	564,200
CESB Only	362,010
Both	80,090
Neither CERB nor CESB	533,000
Source: Statistics Canada, Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS), 2019-2020, Emergency and recovery benefits (ERB), March to September 2020 and T4A Slip data, 2020.

For those who received CESB, the average amount ($4,200) corresponds to students receiving CESB benefits for between three and four of the four CESB eligibility periods. For those who received CERB, the average amount ($8,200) corresponds to students receiving CERB benefits for between four and five of the seven eligibility periods. As shown in Table 1, on average, students who only received CERB received twice as much ($8,800) as students only having received CESB ($4,400).



Women received CERB more than men, but men received CESB more than women

A higher percentage of female postsecondary students received CERB (43.0%) than their male counterparts (40.3%). By contrast, a higher percentage of male postsecondary students received CESB (30.6%) than their female counterparts (27.4%). This may be due to women having been more severely affected by employment losses in the service sector than men during the COVID-19 pandemic; therefore, more likely to be eligible for CERB.

Additionally, according to the Labour Force Survey, younger workers were hit harder during the early stages of the pandemic. As shown in Chart 2, younger students were more likely to receive emergency benefits. This may be partly due to older students having had a stronger attachment to the labour market and being less likely to have had their employment status affected by the pandemic.

Data table for Chart 2



Data table for chart 2
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 2. The information is grouped by Grouping (appearing as row headers), CERB and CESB, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).

Grouping	CERB	CESB
	percent
Man	40.3	30.6
Woman	43.0	27.4
15 to 24 years	45.2	33.3
25 years and over	33.8	17.7
Source: Statistics Canada, Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS), 2019-2020, Emergency and recovery benefits (ERB), March to September 2020 and T4A Slip data, 2020.

Students in graduate-level degree programs were less likely to receive emergency benefits

For all selected educational qualifications,^Note  except for doctoral degrees, students received CERB payments at higher rates than CESB payments. Graduate-level degree program (master’s and doctoral degrees) students were less likely to receive emergency benefits than students enrolled in an undergraduate degree or a college-level program. However, students in graduate-level degree programs received CESB at a higher rate than students enrolled in college-level certificate programs. Undergraduate degree students received CESB payments at the highest rate (34.4%), while college-level diploma students received CERB payments at the highest rate (48.3%). A recent study demonstrated similar trends for CERB payments by educational qualification for recent graduates.

Data table for Chart 3



Data table for chart 3
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 3. The information is grouped by Educational qualification (appearing as row headers), CERB and CESB, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).

Educational qualification	CERB	CESB
	percent
College-level certificate	43.8	17.1
College-level diploma	48.3	24.4
Undergraduate degree	43.1	34.4
Master's degree	25.0	19.1
Doctoral degree	19.0	19.1
Source: Statistics Canada, Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS), 2019-2020, Emergency and recovery benefits (ERB), March to September 2020 and T4A Slip data, 2020.

Since college-level diplomas and undergraduate degrees represent the most numerous of all educational qualifications in Canada, and since students pursuing these educational qualifications accessed emergency benefits at the highest rates, the remainder of the analysis focuses on students enrolled in these two educational qualifications during the fall of 2019.

A higher percentage of postsecondary students received CERB than CESB in all provinces of study and for nearly all fields of study

For all provinces and territories, students in a college-level diploma or an undergraduate degree were more likely to receive CERB than CESB. The percentage of students receiving emergency benefits varied by the province of their educational institution. For both educational qualifications, students attending postsecondary institutions in Prince Edward Island received CERB at the highest rates. Individuals pursuing undergraduate degrees in Ontario received CESB at higher rates than students attending institutions in other provinces and territories. The differences between provinces may be due to differences in public health measures or differences in job opportunities in different parts of the country at specific points during the pandemic. Statistics Canada has developed the COVID-19 Restrictions Index to measure the stringency of the public health measures by province. The index reveals that Prince Edward Island had among the most stringent public health measures at the initial onset of the pandemic, which overlaps with the first two eligibility periods for CERB. Additionally, during part of the summer of 2020, when students were able to apply for CESB, the COVID-19 Restrictions Index was the highest in Ontario.

Data table for Chart 4



Data table for chart 4
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 4. The information is grouped by Province of educational institution (appearing as row headers), Educational qualification, CERB and CESB, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).

Province of educational institution	Educational qualification	CERB	CESB
		percent
Newfoundland and Labrador	College-level diploma	Note x: suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act	Note x: suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
Newfoundland and Labrador	Undergraduate degree	44.3	33.5
Prince Edward Island	College-level diploma	58.4	24.8
Prince Edward Island	Undergraduate degree	57.1	23.8
Nova Scotia	College-level diploma	45.1	30.7
Nova Scotia	Undergraduate degree	45.4	35.2
New Brunswick	College-level diploma	43.9	32.8
New Brunswick	Undergraduate degree	52.0	30.2
Quebec	College-level diploma	45.6	19.5
Quebec	Undergraduate degree	44.1	24.5
Ontario	College-level diploma	50.5	25.8
Ontario	Undergraduate degree	42.2	39.9
Manitoba	College-level diploma	40.0	25.2
Manitoba	Undergraduate degree	43.9	26.5
Saskatchewan	College-level diploma	38.6	33.2
Saskatchewan	Undergraduate degree	41.9	30.9
Alberta	College-level diploma	47.9	25.7
Alberta	Undergraduate degree	44.5	32.5
British Columbia	College-level diploma	45.9	26.4
British Columbia	Undergraduate degree	41.9	33.5
Territories	College-level diploma	42.9	28.6
Territories	Undergraduate degree	33.3	22.2
x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act Note: Colleges in Newfoundland and Labrador were removed from the analysis due to data gaps. Note: Due to small counts and rounding, data from the Territories should be used with caution. Source: Statistics Canada, Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS), 2019-2020, Emergency and recovery benefits (ERB), March to September 2020 and T4A Slip data, 2020.

Students pursuing college-level diplomas were more likely to receive CERB than CESB for all fields of study. For undergraduate degrees, students were more likely to receive CERB than CESB, except for those pursuing studies in “physical and life sciences and technologies”, “mathematics, computer and information sciences”, and “architecture, engineering, and related technologies”.

Students enrolled in undergraduate degree programs received CESB payments at a higher rate than college-level diploma students for all fields of study.

Data table for Chart 5



Data table for chart 5
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 5. The information is grouped by Field of study (appearing as row headers), Educational qualification, CERB and CESB, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).

Field of study	Educational qualification	CERB	CESB
		percent
Education	College-level diploma	46.5	15.2
Education	Undergraduate degree	58.6	21.2
Visual and performing arts, and communications technologies	College-level diploma	45.5	33.4
Visual and performing arts, and communications technologies	Undergraduate degree	48.4	37.2
Humanities	College-level diploma	51.2	23.0
Humanities	Undergraduate degree	45.4	33.7
Social and behavioural sciences and law	College-level diploma	55.4	23.9
Social and behavioural sciences and law	Undergraduate degree	49.7	32.2
Business, management and public administration	College-level diploma	52.1	22.3
Business, management and public administration	Undergraduate degree	45.5	29.0
Physical and life sciences and technologies	College-level diploma	42.3	31.2
Physical and life sciences and technologies	Undergraduate degree	37.9	45.9
Mathematics, computer and information sciences	College-level diploma	38.4	30.9
Mathematics, computer and information sciences	Undergraduate degree	29.6	40.8
Architecture, engineering, and related technologies	College-level diploma	47.4	26.7
Architecture, engineering, and related technologies	Undergraduate degree	33.3	40.2
Agriculture, natural resources and conservation	College-level diploma	41.8	20.7
Agriculture, natural resources and conservation	Undergraduate degree	40.0	28.7
Health and related fields	College-level diploma	43.9	22.9
Health and related fields	Undergraduate degree	38.9	33.3
Personal, protective and transportation services	College-level diploma	54.0	20.9
Personal, protective and transportation services	Undergraduate degree	47.6	25.6
Other	College-level diploma	40.2	34.8
Other	Undergraduate degree	41.8	38.1
Note: Students with insufficient information to be classified in a field of study were removed from the chart. Source: Statistics Canada, Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS), 2019-2020, Emergency and recovery benefits (ERB), March to September 2020 and T4A Slip data, 2020.

Conclusion

Among students enrolled in postsecondary studies during the fall of 2019, almost two-thirds (65.4%) received emergency benefits in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is due in part to the difficulties they experienced in the labour market. Students were more likely to receive CERB than CESB, regardless of gender, age group, and the province of study. Of the selected educational qualifications, students in college-level diploma programs were the most likely to receive CERB payments while doctoral degree students were the least likely. Additionally, CESB payments were received at the highest rate by undergraduate degree students and the lowest rate by students in college-level certificate programs. The rate of received CERB payments was comparatively high in Prince Edward Island. Future research could attempt to further understand why the identified groups accessed emergency benefits at different rates than others.

Melissa Van Bussel, George Marshall and Eric Fecteau are analysts with the Canadian Centre for Education Statistics at Statistics Canada.

Notes to readers

This report uses the Education and Labour Market Longitudinal Platform (ELMLP), which is an environment where the administrative data from the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) and the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) can be integrated with the Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS). The CESB data used in this release come from the 2020 T4A slip from Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The CERB data used in this release come from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and contain information on initial payments from both streams of the program, one administered by ESDC and the other by CRA on its behalf.

The study population is restricted to: “Canadian citizens” and “permanent residents”;^Note  students who were enrolled full-time or part-time in a public postsecondary institution in the fall of 2019;^Note  students in a program that leads to a degree, diploma, or certificate;^Note  and students not in a “basic education” or “apprenticeship” program. Individuals with insufficient information to create an anonymous key to integrate the CERB and CESB data to PSIS were removed from the analysis.

Only one record was retained for each individual. Since students can be enrolled in multiple programs at once, a set of sequential rules were applied in the following order to choose the most relevant record to retain for the analysis: 1) keep the record with a graduation flag (i.e., prioritise graduation over enrolments); 2) keep the record with the highest program type (e.g., graduate program level is retained over undergraduate level); 3) if program types are the same, then keep the record with the highest credential type (e.g., degree is retained over diploma). If after this process an individual still had multiple records, one record was selected randomly.