The number of Canadians receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits rose by 7,400 (+1.5%) in August, the third increase in four months. Prior to these increases, the number of regular EI beneficiaries had held relatively steady from September 2023 to April 2024, according to a recent report by Statistics Canada.
On a year-over-year basis, the number of regular EI beneficiaries was up by 26,000 (+5.6%) in August, it said.
“Data from the Labour Force Survey show that in the four months to August, the unemployment rate increased 0.5 percentage points to 6.6%, as more people searched for work, while overall employment was little changed. Compared with August 2023, the unemployment rate was up 1.1 percentage points and the number of unemployed people who had been laid off increased to 728,000 (+14.8%; +94,000) (not seasonally adjusted),” explained the federal agency.
“In general, variations in the number of EI beneficiaries can reflect changes in the circumstances of different groups, including those becoming beneficiaries, those going back to work, those exhausting their regular benefits, and those no longer receiving benefits for other reasons.”
Number of regular Employment Insurance beneficiaries trends up since April 2024
The number of regular EI beneficiaries increased for men in all age groups in August, led by those in the core-aged group (25 to 54 years) (+3.9%; +7,400). In comparison, the number of regular EI recipients was essentially unchanged among young women (15 to 24 years) and women aged 55 and older in August, while it fell among core-aged women (-1.0%; -1,300), said StatsCan.
“Compared to August 2023, the number of regular EI beneficiaries was up for all major demographic groups. The largest increases were recorded among men aged 55 and older (+7.5%; +5,800), core-aged men (+7.2%; +13,000) as well as young men aged 15 to 24 years (+4.0%; +1,300). Over the same period, proportionally smaller increases were recorded among core-aged women (+3.9%; +4,500), women aged 55 and older (+3.0%; +1,500) and young women (+1.3%; +200),” it said.
“On a year-over-year basis, the number of regular EI beneficiaries was up among those who last worked in most broad occupational categories in August, except for art, culture, recreation and sport (-23.9%; -3,900) and natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations (-8.2%; -2,700). There was little change in the number of regular EI beneficiaries who last worked in health occupations.
“The largest proportional increase from August 2023 to August 2024 was among regular EI recipients who last worked in occupations in manufacturing and utilities (+21.7%; +7,400), particularly as machine operators, assemblers and inspectors in processing, manufacturing, and printing (+40.9%; +6,200), and mostly in Ontario. Over the same period, there was also a notable increase in the number of regular EI beneficiaries who last worked in natural and applied sciences and related occupations (+18.9%; +5,600).”
Mario Toneguzzi
Mario Toneguzzi is Managing Editor of Canada’s Podcast. He has more than 40 years of experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist, and editor. He was named in 2021 as one of the Top 10 Business Journalists in the World by PR News – the only Canadian to make the list. He was also named by RETHINK to its global list of Top Retail Experts 2024.
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