Employment Insurance, June 2012

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In June, the number of people receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits continued its downward trend, edging down to 507,600 from 512,100 in May. The number of beneficiaries declined slightly in Nova Scotia and edged up in Ontario and Prince Edward Island.

Chart description: Employment Insurance beneficiaries edged down in June

CSV version of the chart

Claims increase in June

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.

The number of initial and renewal claims rose 3.4% to 231,600 in June, following a decline of similar magnitude in May. Claims increased in New Brunswick (+8.9%), Alberta (+8.6%), Quebec (+4.6%) and Manitoba (+3.3%).

Claims fell 4.6% in Prince Edward Island, while there was little change in the other provinces.

Chart description: Number of claims up in June

CSV version of the chart

Little change in beneficiaries in most provinces

There was little or no change in the number of beneficiaries in the majority of provinces in June.

In Nova Scotia, the number of beneficiaries fell 2.0% to 29,400. In Prince Edward Island, the number of people receiving regular benefits rose 3.7% to 8,700, following a 1.8% increase in May.

In Ontario, the number edged up 1.3% in June to 150,500, following two months of declines.

Declines continue in most population centres

This release provides information on population centres with 10,000 persons or more. EI data on population centres are not seasonally adjusted and are therefore compared on a year-over-year basis.

Nationally, the number of people receiving regular EI benefits fell by 62,900 (-13.1%) between June 2011 and June 2012. Of the 143 population centres, 123 showed declines, while 16 posted increases. There was no change in 4 centres.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, the number of beneficiaries fell in four of the five centres in the 12 months to June. The largest decrease was in St. John's, where the number of beneficiaries fell 17.7% to 3,100.

In Prince Edward Island, the number of people receiving benefits fell 18.0% to 1,500 in Charlottetown. The number of beneficiaries was little changed in Summerside.

All five population centres in Nova Scotia had fewer beneficiaries in June than 12 months earlier. The largest percentage declines were in Kentville, Truro and Halifax. In Halifax, the number of beneficiaries fell 14.9% to 4,300.

The number of people receiving benefits fell in five of the six centres in New Brunswick in the 12 months to June, with the largest decline occurring in Fredericton. In Saint John, the number of beneficiaries decreased 5.5% to 2,100. In Moncton, the number of beneficiaries rose 4.8%.

Among the 33 population centres in Quebec, the number of beneficiaries declined in 26, while it increased in 4 and was unchanged in the remaining 3. The largest percentage declines occurred in Val-d'Or, Rouyn-Noranda, Dolbeau-Mistassini and Rivière-du-Loup. In Montréal, there were 42,900 people receiving regular EI benefits, down 8.8% from 12 months earlier.

In Ontario, 40 of the 41 centres had fewer beneficiaries in the 12 months to June. The largest declines occurred in Woodstock, Stratford, Leamington and Windsor. In Toronto, 51,200 people received benefits, down 17.0%.

In Manitoba, there were fewer beneficiaries in three of the four centres. In Winnipeg, the number of beneficiaries decreased 7.1% to 4,600.

All eight population centres in Saskatchewan continued to post year-over-year declines. The number of beneficiaries in Regina fell 19.8% to 700, while in Saskatoon, it declined 12.0% to 1,300.

In Alberta, the number of people receiving benefits decreased in 11 of the 12 centres. In Edmonton, the number of beneficiaries dropped 37.8% to 5,900, and in Calgary, it fell 33.9% to 6,500. Cold Lake, Lethbridge, Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Wood Buffalo also had year-over-year declines of 30% or more.

In British Columbia, 20 of the 25 centres posted declines in the 12 months to June, while there were increases in 4 and no change in 1. The largest declines occurred in Penticton, Squamish, Vernon, Williams Lake, Kamloops, Quesnel and Kelowna. In Victoria, the number of people receiving benefits fell 17.5% to 2,400, while in Vancouver, it decreased 16.6% to 20,500.

Demographic groups

EI data by sex and age are not seasonally adjusted and are therefore compared on a year-over-year basis.

In June, the number of people receiving regular EI benefits fell at a similar rate for men and women in all age groups. The rates of decline ranged between 11.2% and 13.8%.