The Daily, Friday, December 19, 2003. Employment Insurance

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Employment Insurance

The estimated number of Canadians (adjusted for seasonality) receiving regular Employment Insurance benefits in October was 579,900, virtually unchanged from September (+0.1%). Since July, the number of beneficiaries has decreased by 3.2%. This marks a turnaround following the upward trend observed earlier this year, when increases between January and July pushed up the number of beneficiaries by 12.6%.

Also on a seasonally adjusted basis, regular benefit payments in October totalled $776.4 million, while the number of people making initial and renewal claims was 228,160.

Number of beneficiaries receiving regular benefits

October 2003^p

September to October 2003

October 2002 to October 2003

Seasonally adjusted

% change

Canada

579,900

0.1

4.1

Newfoundland and Labrador

36,460

3.0

-2.6

Prince Edward Island

7,900

-1.7

-7.6

Nova Scotia

30,210

0.3

-1.9

New Brunswick

34,150

2.0

-6.0

Quebec

188,770

-0.4

5.3

Ontario

150,540

1.2

12.7

Manitoba

14,580

-0.7

1.8

Saskatchewan

13,000

-2.7

5.3

Alberta

34,190

-2.0

-4.0

British Columbia

69,130

-0.1

3.6

Yukon Territory

1,060

1.0

-2.8

Northwest Territories and Nunavut

1,130

0.9

-5.0

Unadjusted for seasonality

% change

Northwest Territories

720

14.3

-13.3

Nunavut

300

0.0

20.0

^p	Preliminary figures.

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.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2604.

Data on Employment Insurance for November will be released on January 27, 2004.

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

October 2003

September 2003

October 2002

September to October 2003

October 2002 to October 2003

Seasonally adjusted

% change

Regular beneficiaries

579,900^p

579,330^p

556,890

0.1

4.1

Regular benefits paid ($ millions)

776.4^p

782.3^r

715.6

-0.8

8.5

Initial and Renewal Claims received ('000)

228.2^p

246.6^r

234.2

-7.5

-2.6

Unadjusted

% change

All beneficiaries ('000) (see note to users)

724.0^p

682.5^p

692.9

6.1

4.5

Regular beneficiaries ('000)

446.1^p

413.2^p

426.4

8.0

4.6

Initial and Renewal Claims received ('000)

253.2

224.1

272.7

13.0

-7.2

Payments ($ millions)

1,011.7

1,199.1

978.2

-15.6

3.4

Year-to-date (January to October)

2003

2002

2002 to 2003

% change

Claims received ('000)

2,356.1

2,241.4

5.1

Payments ($ millions)

12,394.4

12,289.0

0.9

^r	Revised figures.
^p	Preliminary figures.
Note:	"All beneficiaries" includes all claimants receiving regular benefits (for example, as a result of layoff) or special benefits (for example, as a result of illness).