Number of new and renewal claims fell by 4,400
The number of people receiving regular employment insurance (EI) benefits edged down 4,500 or 0.8 per cent to 528,000 in November, according to Statistics Canada.
The number of beneficiaries decreased slightly in Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. At the same time, there were slight increases in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador. Other provinces were virtually unchanged.
Claims
To receive EI benefits, individuals must first submit a claim. The number of claims provides an indication of the number of people who could become beneficiaries.
Nationally, the number of initial and renewal claims fell by 4,400 to 226,700 in November.
Provincially, the number of claims declined 6.7 per cent in Alberta, 4.1 per cent in Nova Scotia, 3.7 per cent in Saskatchewan and 3.1 per cent in Ontario. At the same time, the number of claims increased by 2.9 per cent in Manitoba and 1.4 per cent in Quebec.
Provincial summary
The number of people receiving regular benefits in November fell slightly in four provinces.
In Nova Scotia, the number of beneficiaries declined 1.6 per cent, following small decreases in the two previous months.
The number of beneficiaries fell 1.2 per cent in British Columbia, which is the third consecutive monthly decline in the province.
There were also fewer people receiving regular benefits in Ontario (-1.1 per cent) in November, following little change the month before.
In Quebec, the number of beneficiaries decreased one per cent in November, offsetting an increase in October.
There were slightly more beneficiaries in three provinces in November: Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Saskatchewan.
In Alberta, the number of people receiving benefits was up 1.5 per cent, the fifth consecutive monthly increase. The number of beneficiaries edged up one per cent in Newfoundland and Labrador and in Saskatchewan.
