Employment Insurance, May 2025

The number of Canadians receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits was virtually unchanged (-0.3%; -1,600) at 517,000 in May. The number beneficiaries had previously trended up (+6.6%; +32,000) from January to April. On a year-over-year basis, the number of regular EI beneficiaries was up by 44,000 (+9.2%) in May.

Data from the Labour Force Survey indicate that the unemployment rate was up 0.7 percentage points year over year to 7.0% in May.

In general, variations in the number of EI beneficiaries receiving regular benefits can reflect changes in the circumstances of different groups of people, including new beneficiaries, individuals going back to work, those exhausting their regular benefits, and others who no longer receive benefits for other reasons.

Chart 1: Number of regular Employment Insurance beneficiaries holds steady in May but up over the first four months of the year

The number of regular Employment Insurance recipients down among youth and core-aged men, while it is up among older women

In May, slight declines in the number of regular EI recipients were recorded among young men and women aged 15 to 24 (-1.7%; -800), as well as among core-aged (25 to 54 years old) men (-1.3%; -2,600). At the same time, there was an increase among women aged 55 and older (+1.9%; +1,000).

Compared with a year earlier, there were increases across all major demographic groups in May, with the largest proportional increases recorded among core-aged men (+10.8%; +19,000), older women (+10.3%; +5,000) and core-aged women (+9.2%; +11,000).

Fewer recipients with regular Employment Insurance benefits in Ontario, while Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador as well as Prince Edward Island post increases

Ontario was the lone province to record a notable decrease (-1.5%; -2,600) in its number of regular EI recipients in May, which partly offset the increase of 5,900 (+3.6%) in April.

On the other hand, after two months of little change, Saskatchewan (+1.7%; +300) recorded an increase in the number of recipients receiving regular EI benefits in May. Newfoundland and Labrador (+1.3%; +400) and Prince Edward Island (+1.5%; +100) also recorded increases in the month.

On a year-over-year basis, Alberta (+15.5% +7,900) recorded the largest proportional increase among all provinces in May, followed by British Columbia (+13.5%; +6,400), Ontario (+12.9%; +19,000), and Quebec (+5.8%; +6,400).

Chart 2: Ontario posts the largest proportional decrease in regular Employment Insurance recipients in May, while Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador post increases

The largest increase in the number of regular Employment Insurance beneficiaries in May is among recipients who last worked in business, finance and administrative occupations

In May, the number of beneficiaries receiving regular EI benefits increased the most among recipients who were last employed in business, finance and administration occupations (+2,200; +3.3%), marking the second consecutive monthly increase. Among those who last worked in sales and service occupations (+1,800; +2.1%), May marked the fourth consecutive monthly increase.

In contrast, there was a decline among recipients who last worked in occupations in manufacturing and utilities (-3,100; -7.5%), partly offsetting consecutive monthly increases totalling 5,400 (+14.8%) from January to April 2025.

Compared with May 2024, the number of regular EI recipients was up across most major occupational groups in May. Increases were most pronounced for beneficiaries who were last employed in business, finance and administration occupations (+12,000; +22.0%), followed by sales and service occupations (+8,600; +10.9%) and in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (+8,300; +5.1%).

Chart 3: In May, the number of regular Employment Insurance recipients up in several occupations year over year, led by those who last worked in business, finance and administration occupations

Table 1: Beneficiaries receiving regular income benefits, by province and territory, sex and age group – Seasonally adjusted

Table 2: Initial and renewal claims received, by province and territory – Seasonally adjusted

Table 3: Beneficiaries receiving regular income benefits, by census metropolitan area – Seasonally adjusted

Table 4: Beneficiaries receiving regular income benefits, by occupation, Canada – Seasonally adjusted