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August 2010  (Previous release)

In August, 671,200 people received regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, virtually unchanged from July.

The number of beneficiaries in July and August has eased back to levels recorded in March, after rising slightly during the second quarter of the year.

Since peaking in June 2009, the number has fallen by 158,100. This decline has offset almost half of the increase of 329,000 observed during the 2008/2009 labour market downturn.

The number of Employment Insurance beneficiaries in August similar to the level recorded in March

Recent upward trend in the number of claims

To receive EI benefits, individuals must first submit a claim. The number of claims provides an indication of the number of people who could become beneficiaries.

While the number of beneficiaries was little changed in August, the number of initial and renewal claims increased by 8,100 from July to 258,700.

Since March 2010, the number of claims has been trending up, increasing by an average of 5,700 a month. The recent increases contrast with the period from May 2009 to March 2010, when the number of claims received was on a downward trend. During that period, the number declined by an average of 9,800 a month, with decreases in every province.

Note to readers

All data in this release are seasonally adjusted unless otherwise specified.

Each month, Statistics Canada provides analysis of the current labour market situation, using Employment Insurance (EI) statistics and other sources. Earlier this October, the Labour Force Survey (LFS) provided a picture of overall labour market conditions, including unemployment, total employment and those affected by changes in the labour market. In this release, Statistics Canada provides additional sub-provincial detail through the EI statistics. Details by industry will follow with data from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours.

EI statistics are produced from an administrative data source from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. These statistics may, from time to time, be affected by changes to the Employment Insurance Act or administrative procedures. The number of regular beneficiaries and the number of claims received for July and August 2010 are preliminary. In this release, large centres correspond to those with a population of 10,000 or more.

The number of beneficiaries is a measure of all persons who received EI benefits from the 15th to the 21st of August. This period coincides with the reference week of the LFS.

EI statistics indicate the number of people who received EI benefits, and should not be confused with data coming from the LFS, which provides information on the total number of unemployed people.

There are 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 is not insured. Other unemployed people have contributed to the program but do not meet the eligibility criteria, such as workers who left their job voluntarily or those who did not accumulate enough hours of work to receive benefits.

The change in the number of regular EI beneficiaries reflects various situations, including people becoming beneficiaries, people going back to work, and people exhausting their regular benefits.

In August, the number of claims received increased in all provinces, except for Manitoba and Alberta, where there were slight declines.

Since March, the number of claims has risen in every province, with the largest increases in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta.

More Employment Insurance claims in recent months

Beneficiaries down in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador

In Ontario, the number of beneficiaries decreased for the third consecutive month, falling by 3,900 in August to 205,300. Since the peak in June 2009, the number of beneficiaries in Ontario has fallen by 81,400 (-28.4%).

For Alberta, it was the 10th consecutive monthly decline, as the number of people receiving regular benefits fell by 2,200 (-4.7%) in August to 44,500.

In British Columbia, the August decrease of 2,200 was the largest of three consecutive declines. Since the June 2009 peak, the number of beneficiaries in the province has fallen by 15,400 (-16.4%) to 78,800.

Following two months of increases in Newfoundland and Labrador, the number of beneficiaries declined by 1,000 in August to 39,000.

In Quebec, 190,200 people received regular benefits in August, up 2,600 from July. Despite this increase, the number of beneficiaries in Quebec has fallen by 19,800 (-9.4%) since the peak in June 2009.

Sub-provincial and demographic overview

Year-over-year declines in most large centres

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

In August, the number of regular Employment Insurance beneficiaries fell in 115 of the 143 large centres compared with August 2009. Large centres are those with a population of 10,000 or more.

All five large centres in Newfoundland and Labrador had fewer employment insurance beneficiaries in August. In St. John's, the number of beneficiaries fell by 310 to 5,100, the fifth consecutive month of year-over-year declines. The fastest rate of decrease in the province occurred in Labrador City, which has consistently registered fewer beneficiaries in all eight months of 2010 on a year-over-year basis.

In Quebec, the number of beneficiaries fell in 26 of its 33 large centres between August 2009 and August 2010. The fastest declines occurred in Sorel-Tracy, Val-d'Or, Dolbeau-Mistassini, Granby and Baie-Comeau. In Montréal, the number of beneficiaries fell by 5,100, the largest of six consecutive monthly year-over-year declines. In contrast, the number of beneficiaries in the census metropolitan area of Québec rose by 600, the third consecutive month of year-over-year increases.

There were declines in the number of beneficiaries in 35 of Ontario's 41 large centres in the 12 months to August. The largest percentage declines occurred in Chatham-Kent, Guelph and Woodstock. In Greater Sudbury, 1,400 fewer people received regular benefits, similar to the year-over-year decline for the previous month. There were also notable drops in the census metropolitan areas of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo and Windsor. In Toronto, 91,900 people received benefits in August, down 20,100 from 12 months earlier.

All of Alberta's 12 large centres had fewer beneficiaries in August compared with August 2009. The pace of decline in the number of beneficiaries was fastest in Brooks, Grande Prairie, Red Deer and Medicine Hat. For the fifth consecutive month, there were fewer beneficiaries in Calgary and Edmonton. In Calgary, the number of beneficiaries fell by 6,400 to 15,700, the largest of five consecutive monthly year-over-year declines. In Edmonton, the number of beneficiaries declined by 3,500 to 15,900.

Most of British Columbia's large centres had fewer beneficiaries. The rate of decline was most pronounced in Williams Lake, Fort St. John, Port Alberni and Penticton. In Vancouver, 36,300 people received regular benefits in August, down 2,800 from 12 months earlier. The number of beneficiaries also fell by 710 to 2,500 in Prince George and by 510 to 4,000 in Victoria.

Demographic groups

Faster year-over-year decline for men than women

Between August 2009 and August 2010, the number of male EI regular beneficiaries fell by 84,800 to 337,500 (-20.1%), extending the trend of slower year-over-year declines that was first observed last March.

In contrast, the number of female regular beneficiaries fell at a slower rate than males over the same period, down 9,800 (-2.7%) to 345,600. This was their third consecutive month of year-over-year declines.

Among men, the fastest rates of decline occurred for the age group 24 and under, where beneficiaries were down by 15,700 (-31.5%). There was also a 22.4% decline among men aged 25 to 54, and a 3.3% decrease among those aged 55 and over.

For women, the number of beneficiaries decreased by 3,400 (-14.3%) among those aged 24 and under, and by 11,700 (-4.3%) among those aged 25 to 54. In contrast, the number of female beneficiaries aged 55 and over increased by 5,400 (+9.1%).

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 Key resource module of our website under Summary tables, choose Subject then Labour.

Data on Employment Insurance for September will be released on November 17.

A set of maps, Employment Insurance Statistics Maps, August 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 Vincent Ferrao (613-951-4750) or Dominique Pérusse (613-951-4064), Labour Statistics Division.

Table 1

Employment Insurance: Statistics by province and territory
  July 2010p August 2010p July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010 July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010
  Seasonally adjusted
  number change in number % change
Beneficiaries receiving regular benefits            
Canada 671,960 671,210 -750 -96,480 -0.1 -12.6
Newfoundland and Labrador 40,060 39,040 -1,020 -4,120 -2.5 -9.5
Prince Edward Island 8,590 8,600 10 -130 0.1 -1.5
Nova Scotia 33,350 33,660 310 -450 0.9 -1.3
New Brunswick 34,490 34,220 -270 -2,900 -0.8 -7.8
Quebec 187,670 190,220 2,550 -17,070 1.4 -8.2
Ontario 209,200 205,290 -3,910 -45,960 -1.9 -18.3
Manitoba 15,370 15,180 -190 430 -1.2 2.9
Saskatchewan 12,600 12,390 -210 -740 -1.7 -5.6
Alberta 46,760 44,540 -2,220 -13,490 -4.7 -23.2
British Columbia 80,970 78,750 -2,220 -9,330 -2.7 -10.6
Yukon 1,010 970 -40 -160 -4.0 -14.2
Northwest Territories 880 890 10 -120 1.1 -11.9
Nunavut 540 540 0 20 0.0 3.8
Initial and renewal claims received            
Canada 250,570 258,650 8,080 -33,680 3.2 -11.5
Newfoundland and Labrador 9,020 9,260 240 -360 2.7 -3.7
Prince Edward Island 2,390 2,750 360 170 15.1 6.6
Nova Scotia 9,930 10,570 640 180 6.4 1.7
New Brunswick 10,440 10,680 240 60 2.3 0.6
Quebec 71,640 73,430 1,790 -9,250 2.5 -11.2
Ontario 81,630 83,110 1,480 -15,720 1.8 -15.9
Manitoba 8,240 8,050 -190 -920 -2.3 -10.3
Saskatchewan 5,840 6,420 580 -190 9.9 -2.9
Alberta 20,940 20,670 -270 -5,060 -1.3 -19.7
British Columbia 30,840 31,150 310 -3,850 1.0 -11.0
Yukon 320 330 10 -10 3.1 -2.9
Northwest Territories 320 360 40 30 12.5 9.1
Nunavut 180 210 30 30 16.7 16.7
true zero or a value rounded to zero
preliminary
Note(s):
The number of beneficiaries receiving regular benefits excludes claimants receiving training, job creation and self-employment benefits as well as other employment and support measures benefits.

Table 2

Beneficiaries receiving regular benefits by age group, sex, province and territory
  August 2009 August 2010p August 2009 to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010
  Unadjusted for seasonality
  number change in number % change
Canada        
Both sexes 777,670 683,100 -94,570 -12.2
Under 25 years 73,880 54,750 -19,130 -25.9
25 to 54 years 568,530 490,150 -78,380 -13.8
55 years and over 135,260 138,210 2,950 2.2
Men 422,260 337,460 -84,800 -20.1
Under 25 years 49,750 34,070 -15,680 -31.5
25 to 54 years 296,940 230,300 -66,640 -22.4
55 years and over 75,570 73,090 -2,480 -3.3
Women 355,410 345,640 -9,770 -2.7
Under 25 years 24,120 20,680 -3,440 -14.3
25 to 54 years 271,590 259,850 -11,740 -4.3
55 years and over 59,690 65,120 5,430 9.1
Newfoundland and Labrador        
Both sexes 36,000 33,200 -2,800 -7.8
Under 25 years 3,970 3,240 -730 -18.4
25 to 54 years 24,110 21,700 -2,410 -10.0
55 years and over 7,920 8,270 350 4.4
Men 21,120 18,540 -2,580 -12.2
Women 14,880 14,660 -220 -1.5
Prince Edward Island        
Both sexes 6,630 6,510 -120 -1.8
Under 25 years 760 750 -10 -1.3
25 to 54 years 4,510 4,310 -200 -4.4
55 years and over 1,350 1,460 110 8.1
Men 3,750 3,760 10 0.3
Women 2,880 2,750 -130 -4.5
Nova Scotia        
Both sexes 31,980 31,980 0 0.0
Under 25 years 3,320 3,080 -240 -7.2
25 to 54 years 22,670 22,020 -650 -2.9
55 years and over 5,990 6,880 890 14.9
Men 18,240 17,660 -580 -3.2
Women 13,740 14,320 580 4.2
New Brunswick        
Both sexes 32,100 30,130 -1,970 -6.1
Under 25 years 2,890 2,600 -290 -10.0
25 to 54 years 22,770 20,690 -2,080 -9.1
55 years and over 6,440 6,840 400 6.2
Men 17,590 15,820 -1,770 -10.1
Women 14,510 14,310 -200 -1.4
Quebec        
Both sexes 196,420 182,380 -14,040 -7.1
Under 25 years 18,630 15,280 -3,350 -18.0
25 to 54 years 141,410 129,050 -12,360 -8.7
55 years and over 36,380 38,050 1,670 4.6
Men 104,450 92,290 -12,160 -11.6
Women 91,970 90,080 -1,890 -2.1
Ontario        
Both sexes 277,290 229,390 -47,900 -17.3
Under 25 years 22,560 15,440 -7,120 -31.6
25 to 54 years 208,500 168,850 -39,650 -19.0
55 years and over 46,240 45,100 -1,140 -2.5
Men 145,820 105,780 -40,040 -27.5
Women 131,470 123,610 -7,860 -6.0
true zero or a value rounded to zero
preliminary
Note(s):
The number of beneficiaries receiving regular benefits excludes claimants receiving training, job creation and self-employment benefits as well as other employment and support measures benefits.

Table 3

Beneficiaries receiving regular benefits by age group, sex, province and territory
  August 2009 August 2010p August 2009 to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010
  Unadjusted for seasonality
  number change in number % change
Manitoba        
Both sexes 19,720 19,660 -60 -0.3
Under 25 years 1,700 1,490 -210 -12.4
25 to 54 years 14,660 14,520 -140 -1.0
55 years and over 3,360 3,650 290 8.6
Men 8,840 8,490 -350 -4.0
Women 10,870 11,170 300 2.8
Saskatchewan        
Both sexes 15,480 14,530 -950 -6.1
Under 25 years 1,590 1,130 -460 -28.9
25 to 54 years 11,280 10,630 -650 -5.8
55 years and over 2,610 2,770 160 6.1
Men 7,270 6,050 -1,220 -16.8
Women 8,210 8,480 270 3.3
Alberta        
Both sexes 68,020 51,160 -16,860 -24.8
Under 25 years 8,230 4,340 -3,890 -47.3
25 to 54 years 50,220 37,350 -12,870 -25.6
55 years and over 9,570 9,470 -100 -1.0
Men 41,030 25,770 -15,260 -37.2
Women 26,990 25,390 -1,600 -5.9
British Columbia        
Both sexes 91,770 82,050 -9,720 -10.6
Under 25 years 10,000 7,240 -2,760 -27.6
25 to 54 years 66,690 59,380 -7,310 -11.0
55 years and over 15,080 15,430 350 2.3
Men 52,840 42,200 -10,640 -20.1
Women 38,930 39,850 920 2.4
Yukon        
Both sexes 710 610 -100 -14.1
Under 25 years 70 50 -20 -28.6
25 to 54 years 480 440 -40 -8.3
55 years and over 150 120 -30 -20.0
Men 420 310 -110 -26.2
Women 280 300 20 7.1
Northwest Territories        
Both sexes 880 790 -90 -10.2
Under 25 years 100 80 -20 -20.0
25 to 54 years 680 600 -80 -11.8
55 years and over 100 110 10 10.0
Men 500 400 -100 -20.0
Women 380 390 10 2.6
Nunavut        
Both sexes 510 540 30 5.9
Under 25 years 70 40 -30 -42.9
25 to 54 years 400 450 50 12.5
55 years and over 50 50 0 0.0
Men 310 320 10 3.2
Women 200 220 20 10.0
true zero or a value rounded to zero
preliminary
Note(s):
The number of beneficiaries receiving regular benefits excludes claimants receiving training, job creation and self-employment benefits as well as other employment and support measures benefits.

Table 4

Beneficiaries receiving regular benefits by census metropolitan areas1
  August 2009 August 2010p August 2009 to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010
  Unadjusted for seasonality
  number change in number % change
Newfoundland and Labrador        
St. John's 5,440 5,130 -310 -5.7
Nova Scotia        
Halifax 6,850 6,340 -510 -7.4
New Brunswick        
Saint John 2,700 3,230 530 19.6
Quebec        
Saguenay 4,660 4,100 -560 -12.0
Québec 12,280 12,880 600 4.9
Sherbrooke 3,860 3,250 -610 -15.8
Trois-Rivières 4,120 4,080 -40 -1.0
Montréal 80,360 75,250 -5,110 -6.4
Ottawa–Gatineau, Gatineau part 4,180 4,330 150 3.6
Ontario        
Ottawa–Gatineau, Ottawa part 10,090 10,300 210 2.1
Kingston 2,270 2,290 20 0.9
Oshawa 8,300 6,810 -1,490 -18.0
Toronto 111,970 91,880 -20,090 -17.9
Hamilton 14,380 11,620 -2,760 -19.2
St. Catharines–Niagara 10,440 8,810 -1,630 -15.6
Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo 11,580 8,180 -3,400 -29.4
London 10,130 8,280 -1,850 -18.3
Windsor 9,490 6,820 -2,670 -28.1
Greater Sudbury 4,960 3,590 -1,370 -27.6
Thunder Bay 2,760 2,310 -450 -16.3
Manitoba        
Winnipeg 10,720 10,800 80 0.7
Saskatchewan        
Regina 1,950 1,880 -70 -3.6
Saskatoon 3,020 3,220 200 6.6
Alberta        
Calgary 22,130 15,700 -6,430 -29.1
Edmonton 19,330 15,860 -3,470 -18.0
British Columbia        
Abbotsford–Mission 3,340 3,140 -200 -6.0
Vancouver 39,150 36,310 -2,840 -7.3
Victoria 4,530 4,020 -510 -11.3
preliminary
Go online to view the census subdivisions that comprise the census metropolitan areas.
Note(s):
The number of beneficiaries receiving regular benefits excludes claimants receiving training, job creation and self-employment benefits as well as other employment and support measures benefits.