Initial and renewal claims up in the same month
The number of people receiving regular employment insurance benefits decreased in July.
The number of beneficiaries was down 24,800 or 4.4 per cent in July to 535,700. This is the largest of 10 consecutive monthly declines.
There were decreases in all provinces except New Brunswick, where there was little change and Newfoundland and Labrador, where the number of beneficiaries was up slightly.
The largest percentage decrease occurred in Manitoba, where the number of beneficiaries was down 9.1 per cent to 11,700.
The number of beneficiaries also fell in Quebec (5.8 per cent), Ontario (5.7 per cent), Alberta (5.4 per cent), Saskatchewan (5.3 per cent), Nova Scotia (5.2 per cent) and British Columbia (4.2 per cent).
Newfoundland and Labrador, the only province where there were more beneficiaries in July, posted a second consecutive increase with the number of beneficiaries rising 1.2 per cent.
More claims in July
While there were fewer people receiving benefits in July, the number of initial and renewal claims went up 3.8 per cent or 8,800 claims to 243,300. This is the third increase in four months.
There were more claims in several provinces in July, with the highest percentage increase in Ontario at 19 per cent. This increase follows a period of little change in the number of claims in Ontario since January.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the number of claims fell for the second consecutive month, down 10 per cent in July.
Demographic groups
In July, the number of men receiving regular benefits fell 22.5 per cent from 12 months earlier to 272,100.
There were declines of 24.6 per cent for men aged 25 to 54 and 23.6 per cent for those under 25 years of age. The number of male beneficiaries aged 55 and over also fell in the 12 months to July, down 15.2 per cent.
During the year-long period, the percentage decline for women was similar to that for men. The number of women receiving benefits fell by 22.1 per cent to 239,500. It decreased by 23.4 per cent for women aged 25 to 54 and by 22.6 per cent for those under 25. The decline for women 55 and over was 17 per cent, the largest of five consecutive decreases for this group.
