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Tuesday, July 29, 2003

Employment Insurance

May 2003 (preliminary)

The estimated number of Canadians (adjusted for seasonality) receiving regular Employment Insurance benefits in May moved up 2.7% from April to 561,370, marking the fourth consecutive monthly rise. Led by New Brunswick (+5.0%) and Alberta (+4.3%), ten of the provinces and territories recorded monthly increases.

Also on a seasonally adjusted basis, regular benefit payments in May totalled $740.0 million, while the number of people making initial and renewal claims was 261,160.

Note: Employment Insurance Statistics Program data are produced from an administrative data source and may, from time to time, be affected by changes to the Employment Insurance Act or administrative procedures.

The number of beneficiaries is a measure of all persons who received Employment Insurance benefits for the week containing the fifteenth day of the month. The regular benefit payments series measures the total of all monies received by individuals for the entire month.

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.

For general information or to order data, contact Client Services (1-866-873-8788; 613-951-4090; labour@statcan.gc.ca). To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Gilles Groleau (613-951-4091), Labour Statistics Division.

Employment Insurance statistics
  May 2003 April 2003 May 2002 April to May 2003 May 2002 to May 2003
  Seasonally adjusted
        % change
Regular beneficiaries 561,370p 546,510p 559,850 2.7 0.3
Regular benefits paid ($ millions) 740.0p 688.0 731.6 7.6 1.1
Claims received ('000) 261.2p 251.1 230.9 4.0 13.1
  Unadjusted
        % change
All beneficiaries ('000) (see note to users) 777.0p 897.2p 768.1 -13.4 1.2
Regular beneficiaries ('000) 513.0p 617.9p 505.9 -17.0 1.4
Claims received ('000) 187.9 198.1 168.8 -5.1 11.3
Payments ($ millions) 1,082.6 1,382.7 1,069.7 -21.7 1.2
  Year-to-date (January to May)
      2003 2002 2002 to 2003
          % change
Claims received ('000)     1,149.4 1,108.0 3.7
Payments ($ millions)     6,857.8 6,972.6 -1.6
pPreliminary figures.
Note:"All beneficiaries" includes all claimants receiving regular benefits (e.g., due to layoff) or special benefits (e.g., due to illness).

Number of beneficiaries receiving regular benefits
  May 2003p April to May 2003 May 2002 to May 2003
  Seasonally adjusted
    % change
Canada 561,370 2.7 0.3
Newfoundland and Labrador 37,670 0.9 4.4
Prince Edward Island 8,440 1.1 7.0
Nova Scotia 29,680 -0.1 -1.9
New Brunswick 36,010 5.0 2.6
Quebec 184,330 2.2 0.8
Ontario 139,210 2.4 -0.1
Manitoba 12,940 1.1 -10.2
Saskatchewan 11,500 -0.3 -7.3
Alberta 34,450 4.3 3.9
British Columbia 64,560 2.2 -1.4
Yukon Territory 970 2.1 6.6
Northwest Territories and Nunavut 1,110 0.9 0.0
  Unadjusted for seasonality
Northwest Territories 820 -3.5 0.0
Nunavut 350 0.9 0.0
pPreliminary figures.


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Date Modified: 2003-07-29 Important Notices