In June, 691,600 people received regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, up slightly (+8,400) from May and the third consecutive month of small increases.
Figures released this morning by Statistics Canada also say that, despite these recent gains, the number of beneficiaries has fallen by 137,700 (-16.6%) since the peak in June 2009.
The number of beneficiaries rose in nine provinces in June, with Ontario registering the only decline. The most notable increases occurred in Quebec and New Brunswick.
To receive EI benefits, individuals must first submit a claim. Following small increases in April and May, the number of initial and renewal claims received in June edged up by 4,900 to 238,000.
Despite these small recent increases, claims have been on a downward trend since their peak in May 2009. Since then, the number has declined by 89,700 (-27.4%) nationally, with the fastest rates of decline in Ontario (-38.2%), Alberta (-30.6%) and British Columbia (-23.4%).
The number of claims provides an indication of the number of people who could become beneficiaries.
The agency also said that, in Quebec, the number of EI beneficiaries edged up by 2,100 to 193,400 in June. This follows an increase of 4,100 the month before. The number of beneficiaries in Quebec has fallen by 16,600 (-7.9%) since the June 2009 peak. This downward trend in the number of beneficiaries in Quebec coincided with an increase in employment, which rose in a number of service industries, as well as in construction.
There were also increases in the number of beneficiaries in June in New Brunswick (+1,400), as well as in Newfoundland and Labrador (+900) and in Prince Edward Island (+450).
In Ontario, the only province to record a decline in June, the number of regular beneficiaries fell by 3,000 from May, partly offsetting the increases of the previous two months. Since the peak in June 2009, the number of beneficiaries in Ontario has fallen by 69,800 (-24.4%). During the same period, employment in the province has increased, mostly in construction and several service industries.
There was little change in the number of regular beneficiaries for all other provinces.
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