The Daily
|
 In the news  Indicators  Releases by subject
 Special interest  Release schedule  Information

Employment Insurance, March 2017

Warning View the most recent version.

Archived Content

Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.

Released: 2017-05-18

In March, 551,100 people received regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, down slightly (-2,900 or -0.5%) from February.

There were fewer beneficiaries in six provinces, notably Alberta (-4.1%), Prince Edward Island (-3.4%) and Nova Scotia (-2.4%). Smaller decreases were recorded in New Brunswick (-1.7%), British Columbia (-1.3%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (-1.1%).

In contrast, the number of beneficiaries increased in Quebec (+1.9%) and Saskatchewan (+1.7%), while there was little change in Ontario and Manitoba.

The number of people receiving regular benefits edged up 3,800 or 0.7% in the 12 months to March.

In general, changes in the number of beneficiaries reflect various situations, including people becoming beneficiaries, those going back to work, and those no longer receiving regular benefits.

Chart 1  Chart 1: Regular Employment Insurance beneficiaries
Regular Employment Insurance beneficiaries

Provincial and sub-provincial overview

In March, the number of people receiving benefits in Alberta was down 4.1% to 84,400, the third consecutive monthly decline. Data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) show that employment in Alberta has been on a slight upward trend since the autumn of 2016. Fewer beneficiaries were observed across the province, including the census metropolitan areas (CMAs) of Calgary (-4.0%) and Edmonton (-3.0%). On a year-over-year basis, however, the number of beneficiaries in the province was up 21.1%.

In Prince Edward Island, the number of people receiving benefits declined 3.4% in March to 7,800. There was a decrease in beneficiaries throughout the province. Compared with March 2016, the number of beneficiaries increased by 2.9%.

The number of beneficiaries in Nova Scotia fell 2.4% to 28,600 in March, offsetting a similar-sized increase the previous month. Areas outside the CMA of Halifax and the census agglomerations (CAs) contributed most to the decrease. In the 12 months to March, the number of beneficiaries in the province was up 3.9%.

In New Brunswick, 33,100 people received benefits in March, down 1.7% from the previous month. More than two-thirds of the decrease came from the CMAs of Saint John (-7.9%) and Moncton (-5.0%). On a year-over-year basis, the number of beneficiaries in the province was little changed.

In March, the number of people receiving benefits in British Columbia was down 1.3% to 52,700. There were declines in the CMAs of Kelowna (-4.0%) and Victoria (-1.2%), while Vancouver edged down (-0.8%). Meanwhile, Abbotsford–Mission registered an increase (+2.2%). Compared with March 2016, the number of EI recipients in the province declined by 2.1%. The number of beneficiaries in British Columbia has been on a downward trend since the autumn of 2016, coinciding with strength in the provincial labour market. According to data from the LFS, the unemployment rate in the province was 5.4% in March, the lowest among the provinces.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, 36,800 people received benefits in March, down 1.1% from the previous month. The number of beneficiaries declined 1.4% in the CMA of St. John's. On a year-over-year basis, the number of people receiving benefits in the province increased 8.6%.

In Quebec, 134,600 people received benefits in March, up 1.9% compared with the previous month. This increase largely occurred in the CMAs, particularly in Trois-Rivières (+6.6%), Québec (+3.2%) and Gatineau (+2.5%). In Montréal, the number of beneficiaries increased by 1.0%.

Despite the monthly increase, the number of beneficiaries in Quebec decreased on a year-over-year basis by 7.4%, the fastest decline among the provinces. Furthermore, the number of beneficiaries in Quebec has remained at historically low levels, coinciding with strength in provincial employment, especially in the second half of 2016. According to data from the LFS, Quebec's unemployment rate decreased 1.0 percentage point to 6.4% in the 12 months to March.

The number of beneficiaries in Saskatchewan was up 1.7% to 18,400 in March, the first monthly increase since October 2016. The rise in the number of people receiving benefits was largely found in the CMAs of Saskatoon (+5.9%) and Regina (+4.8%). Compared with March 2016, the number of recipients in the province was up 14.1%.

Employment Insurance beneficiaries by occupation

In the 12 months to March, the number of people receiving benefits was up in 6 of the 10 broad occupational groups, most notably art, culture, recreation and sport (+11.9%), management (+7.4%), health (+7.0%) and sales and service (+5.3%). On the other hand, there were fewer beneficiaries whose last job was in manufacturing and utilities (-4.1%), natural and applied sciences (-1.6%) and trades, transport and equipment operators (-1.1%). There was little change in natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations.

Chart 2  Chart 2: Regular Employment Insurance beneficiaries by occupation, March 2016 to March 2017
Regular Employment Insurance beneficiaries by occupation, March 2016 to March 2017

Employment Insurance claims

The number of EI claims totalled 230,100 in March, virtually unchanged from the previous month. The number of claims provides an indication of the number of people who could become beneficiaries.

In March, notable changes in the number of claims were observed in every province except Newfoundland and Labrador. Decreases were led by Alberta (-5.5%), where the number of claims has been trending downward since the autumn of 2016. Claims in the province have been gradually returning to levels seen before the commodities downturn that began in the latter half of 2014.

Chart 3  Chart 3: Employment Insurance claims by province, February 2017 to March 2017
Employment Insurance claims by province, February 2017 to March 2017

Claims also declined in Quebec (-4.9%), Prince Edward Island (-3.8%), Saskatchewan (-2.2%) and Manitoba (-2.1%).

In contrast, the number of claims increased in Ontario (+5.5%), Nova Scotia (+2.2%), New Brunswick (+1.7%) and British Columbia (+1.3%).

Compared with March 2016, EI claims were down 2.9% at the national level.

Chart 4  Chart 4: Employment Insurance claims
Employment Insurance claims





  Note to readers

Upcoming historical revision

With the June 22, 2017, release of April data, the seasonally adjusted series of Employment Insurance (EI) statistics will be revised back to January 2000 to reflect the most recent seasonal factors. Additionally, a new postal code file will be used to update information on all geographical areas.

Concepts and methodology

The analysis presented here focuses on people who received regular EI benefits related to job loss. Claims data pertain to initial and renewal claims received for any type of EI benefits, including special benefits.

EI statistics are produced from administrative data sources provided by Service Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada. These statistics may, from time to time, be affected by changes to the Employment Insurance Act or administrative procedures. The most recent series of changes were introduced in July 2016.

Regular EI benefits are available to eligible individuals who lose their jobs and who are available for and able to work, but cannot find a job. To receive EI benefits, individuals must first submit a claim.

EI statistics indicate the number of people who received EI benefits, and should not be confused with Labour Force Survey (LFS) data, which provide estimates of the total number of unemployed people. There is 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.

All data in this release are seasonally adjusted. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.

Numbers in the Daily text are rounded to the nearest hundred.

The number of regular EI beneficiaries and the number of claims received for the current and previous month are subject to revision.

The number of beneficiaries is a measure of all people who received regular EI benefits from March 12 to 18. This period coincides with the reference week of the Labour Force Survey (LFS). However, claims data are for the entire month.

Geographical definitions

A census metropolitan area (CMA) or a census agglomeration (CA) is formed by one or more adjacent municipalities centred on a population centre. A CMA must have a total population of at least 100,000. A CA must have a population of at least 10,000. See Standard Geographical Classification 2011 – definitions for more information.

Next release

Data on Employment Insurance for April will be released on June 22.

Products

More information about the concepts and use of Employment Insurance statistics is available online in the Guide to Employment Insurance Statistics (Catalogue number73-506-G).

Contact information

For more information, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca).

To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Marton Lovei (613-240-3623; marton.lovei@canada.ca) or Client Services (toll free: 1-866-873-8788; statcan.labour-travail.statcan@canada.ca), Labour Statistics Division.

Report a problem on this page

Is something not working? Is there information outdated? Can't find what you're looking for?

Please contact us and let us know how we can help you.

Privacy notice

Date modified: