In 2024, an average of 1.4 million Canadians were unemployed at any point during the year, and almost two-thirds of them (886,000 or 64.5%) had contributed to the Employment Insurance (EI) program in the previous 12 months. This contribution rate was slightly lower than in 2023 (66.0%) and was above the average from 2017 to 2019 (62.8%).
These results are from the 2024 Employment Insurance Coverage Survey (EICS), which provides an overview of who has access to regular EI benefits, and why people may not have access to benefits. The survey also covers Canadian parents' use of the maternity and parental benefits available under the EI program. All these benefits provide temporary income support while people are not working.
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