Employment Insurance numbers released today by Statistics Canada portray an even more troubling picture for Alberta and Saskatchewan, two provinces hit hard by the commodities rout.
The agency said the number of Canadians receiving jobless benefits in Saskatchewan climbed 4.6% in November from October, to almost 15,000. The year-over-year increase topped 35%
In Alberta, the number of those drawing benefits rose 2.7% in November, to 61,300, or more than double that of a year earlier. Claims, too, were on the rise, up 6.4% in Saskatchewan.
Nationwide, the number of EI recipients stood at 544,200 in November, up 0.6% from October.
