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

Employment Insurance, April 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: 2017-06-22

The number of regular Employment Insurance (EI) beneficiaries fell by 7,000 (-1.3%) to 541,200 in April, a sixth consecutive monthly decline.

The number of people receiving benefits decreased in four provinces, most notably in Alberta (-3.8%) and Ontario (-2.3%), followed by Manitoba (-1.4%) and Quebec (-1.3%). Conversely, the number of beneficiaries increased in Newfoundland and Labrador (+2.3%), Saskatchewan (+1.6%) and Prince Edward Island (+1.3%). There was little change in the remaining provinces.

On a year-over-year basis, the number of people receiving benefits in Canada edged down 3,400 (-0.6%) in April.

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 Alberta, 79,200 people received benefits in April, down 3.8% from the previous month. This was the sixth consecutive monthly decline for the province. Data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) show that employment in the province has trended upward since the autumn of 2016, following a downward trend that began in 2015. Declines in the number of beneficiaries occurred throughout the province, including the census metropolitan areas (CMAs) of Edmonton (-3.9%) and Calgary (-2.5%). In the 12 months to April, the number of beneficiaries was up 7.9% in the province, the smallest year-over-year increase since January 2015.

In Ontario, 132,500 people received benefits in April, 2.3% fewer beneficiaries than the previous month. Most areas in the province recorded decreases in the number of beneficiaries, including Windsor (-12.0%), Thunder Bay (-7.1%) and St. Catharines–Niagara (-6.7%). On a year-over-year basis, the number of people receiving benefits in Ontario declined by 5.0%. According to the LFS, employment in Ontario grew by 1.2% in the 12 months to April. Over this period, the unemployment rate hovered below the national average, suggesting healthy labour market conditions. In April, the unemployment rate in Ontario was 5.8% or 0.7 percentage points below the national rate.

The number of beneficiaries in Manitoba decreased in April, down 1.4% to 15,200, a third consecutive monthly decline. Most of the provincial decrease occurred in the CMA of Winnipeg (-2.5%).

In Quebec, the number of people receiving benefits fell by 1.3% in April to 132,900, offsetting an equivalent increase in the previous month. Decreases were observed throughout the province, notably in the CMAs of Sherbrooke (-7.1%), Montréal (-1.6%) and Québec (-1.6%). In April, the number of beneficiaries matched the level registered in February, which was the lowest level observed since the series began in 1997. In the 12 months to April, the number of beneficiaries in the province was down by 7.8%, the largest year-over-year decrease observed among the provinces.

In April, the number of people receiving benefits in Newfoundland and Labrador grew by 2.3% to 38,000. Although the number of beneficiaries was up by 1.6% in the CMA of St. John's, areas outside of this CMA and the census agglomerations (+2.7%) accounted for most of the provincial increase. In April, the number of beneficiaries was 14.1% greater than 12 months earlier.

In Saskatchewan, 18,900 people received benefits in April, up 1.6% from the previous month. Increases were observed in the CMAs of Regina (+3.6%) and Saskatoon (+2.1%), as well as in areas outside CMAs and census agglomerations (+2.3%). On a year-over-year basis, there were 16.3% more beneficiaries in April.

In April, the number of beneficiaries in Prince Edward Island grew by 1.3% to 8,000. The rise occurred mainly in areas outside census agglomerations (+1.6%).

Employment Insurance beneficiaries by occupation

The number of beneficiaries rose in 6 of the 10 broad occupational groups in the 12 months to April. The most notable increase was in occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport (+11.5%), followed by occupations in education, law and social, community and government services (+7.6%). The number of beneficiaries whose last job was in occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport has trended upward since February 2016. Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services is the only other group for which the number of beneficiaries has trended upward in recent months.

In April, the number of beneficiaries whose last job was in occupations in manufacturing and utilities (-5.1%) and natural and applied science occupations (-3.9%) registered the largest year-over-year decreases. The number of beneficiaries in manufacturing and utilities was at the lowest level observed since 2008, the beginning of the current occupational series. In the 12 months to April, employment in this occupational group was up 3.7%, according to the LFS.

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

Employment Insurance beneficiaries in major demographic groups

In April, there was a decrease in the number of male beneficiaries aged 15 to 24 (-2.4%) and those aged 25 to 54 (-2.3%) compared to the previous month. The other major demographic groups were little changed.

On a year-over-year basis, the number of male beneficiaries (-3.1%) decreased, while the number of female beneficiaries (+3.8%) increased. For men, increases in the number of beneficiaries among those aged 55 and older (+5.8%) partly offset decreases among those aged 15 to 24 (-10.4%) and 25 to 54 (-4.9%). For women, growth in the number of beneficiaries was observed across all age groups.

Employment Insurance claims

Following little change in March, the number of EI claims increased by 4.1% (+9,600) to 240,000 in April. The number of claims provides an indication of the number of people who could become beneficiaries.

In April, EI claims rose in five provinces, led by Newfoundland and Labrador (+39.8%) and Saskatchewan (+13.1%). The increase in Newfoundland and Labrador accounted for about 40% of the national net increase.

Notable increases in the number of claims were also observed in Quebec (+5.5%) and Alberta (+4.7%), offsetting declines observed in these provinces in March. On the other hand, the number of claims fell in Manitoba (-1.8%) and New Brunswick (-1.3%).

Compared with April 2016, EI claims were virtually unchanged at the national level.

Chart 3  Chart 3: Employment Insurance claims
Employment Insurance claims

Telling Canada's story in numbers; #ByTheNumbers

In celebration of the country's 150th birthday, Statistics Canada is presenting snapshots from our rich statistical history.

The history of maternity and parental leave provisions in the Employment Insurance program

When the Unemployment Insurance Program was introduced in 1940, it did not cover maternity or parental benefits. Although there was an increase in women's employment during the Second World War, this was viewed as temporary and related to the need for women to fill jobs that had been left vacant by the men who had gone to war. The employment rate for women did drop throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s, coinciding with the baby boom and more traditional home-making roles for many women.

Provisions for maternity benefits, and corresponding job-protected leave under the Canada Labour Code, were introduced some 30 years later in 1971. Mothers with 20 or more insurable weeks in the qualifying period could claim up to 15 weeks of maternity benefits and leave. In 1989, 10 weeks of parental benefits and leave were added and could be used by either parent or shared between them.

Another significant change occurred in December 2000, when the maximum duration of parental benefits and leave was increased from 10 to 35 weeks, effectively increasing the total maternity and parental paid leave time from six months to one year. The threshold for eligibility was also lowered from 700 to 600 hours of insurable employment, while the benefit rate remained unchanged at 55% of maximum insurable earnings based on the prior weeks of highest insurable earnings. In 2010, self-employed workers who registered for access to the Employment Insurance program became eligible for special benefits, including maternity, parental, sickness and compassionate care benefits.

In April 2017, close to 49,000 mothers received maternity benefits, and about 119,000 workers (mostly mothers) received parental benefits. These totals do not include data on Quebec, as that province has had its own program since 2006.

Sources: Employment and Social Development Canada. 2017. Employment Insurance Monitoring and Assessment, 2015/2016. Ottawa; "Benefiting from extended parental leave." Perspectives on Labour and Income (Catalogue number75-001-X); "One hundred years of labour force." Canadian Social Trends (Catalogue number11-008-X); and CANSIM table 276-0020 (seasonally unadjusted data).





  Note to readers

Historical revision

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

Concepts and methodology

The analysis presented here focuses on people who received regular Employment Insurance (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 EI benefits from April 9 to 15. This period coincides with the reference week of the 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 May will be released on July 20.

Products

More information about the concepts and use of Employment Insurance statistics is available in an updated issue of 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 Myriam Hazel (613-219-4345; myriam.hazel@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: