The number of Canadians receiving regular employment insurance benefits fell 4.5% in July from the previous month, Statistics Canada reported Thursday.
There were 672,170 EI beneficiaries during the month, down 31,350 from June, the federal agency said. The July level is down 15.4% from the same month a year earlier.
Regular EI benefits were down in nine provinces in July, with the biggest declines seen in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and New Brunswick. Newfoundland and Labrador recorded a small increase during the month.
Meanwhile, initial and renewal claims rose by 6,230, or 2.6%, to 247,890 in July. Year-to-year, claims were still down 10.2 in July.
