816,600 Canadians received regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits in June, up 5.1% from a month earlier, according to data released Tuesday by Statistics Canada.
Provincially, the largest percentage increases occurred in Alberta, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador.
During the second quarter of 2009, the number of beneficiaries increased 18.8%, down from the growth rate (+25.2%) during the first quarter.
Since the Canadian labor market began to deteriorate last autumn, the number of people receiving EI benefits has risen sharply. Compared with October 2008, the number of people on EI has increased 63.2%, or 316,300.
