Employment Insurance (EI) benefits in May in Canada – 527,100 people, up 0.9%

There were 527,100 people receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits in May, edging up 0.9% or 4,800 from April.

Compared with 12 months earlier, the number of beneficiaries increased by 15,400 (+3.0%). However, excluding Alberta, the number of beneficiaries in Canada edged down 0.7% (-3,200) on a year-over-year basis.

In Alberta, the number of beneficiaries rose for the seventh consecutive month, up 10.4% in May. Smaller increases were recorded in Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. On the other hand, there were slightly fewer beneficiaries in Ontario and Manitoba.

The change in the number of regular EI beneficiaries reflects various situations, including people becoming beneficiaries, people going back to work and people no longer receiving regular benefits.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at The Daily — Employment Insurance, May 2015.