The number of Canadians receiving unemployment benefits rose in the resource-sensitive provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan in February, Statistics Canada said on Thursday, pointing up the impact the downturn in resources is still having on the economy.
In Alberta, for example, there were 65,140 people receiving regular employment insurance benefits in February, an increase of 2.4% from the previous month.
The number of beneficiaries in the province, where the country's vast oil sands are located, shot up 78.9% compared to a year ago.
In Saskatchewan, the number of people on benefits increased for the fourth month in a row, up 3.5% to 16,740 and up 38.6% on an annual basis.
The increases in the two provinces far outpaced the country as a whole, with the number of beneficiaries in Canada rising 0.8% on the year and 6.7% on the month.
The number of Canadians putting forward employment insurance claims decreased by 4.5% in February. It was the first descent since September last year.
