The number of people receiving regular Employment Insurance benefits is on the rise in Alberta.
“In Alberta, 50,600 people received regular EI benefits in December, an increase of 2.7 per cent from the previous month. There were more beneficiaries in the CMAs of Lethbridge (+5.5 per cent), Calgary (+3.5 per cent) and Edmonton (+2.0 per cent). Following a long-term downward trend, the number of beneficiaries in the province stabilized through 2018 and most of 2019, ending the year with a 1.5 per cent increase in December compared with 12 months earlier,” said Statistics Canada in a report released on Thursday.
The federal agency said the number of EI beneficiaries in Alberta rose by 1,320 people on a month-over-month basis and by 730 year-over-year. Calgary saw a monthly hike of 540 people and a yearly increase of 300. Edmonton’s number rose by 340 month-over-month but was down by 960 year-over-year.
Across Canada, the number of people receiving regular EI benefits fell by 2,410 on a monthly basis and by 2,150 on an annual basis.
“In general, variations in the number of beneficiaries can reflect changes in the circumstances of different groups, including those becoming beneficiaries, those going back to work, those exhausting their regular benefits, and those no longer receiving benefits for other reasons,” explained StatsCan.
In December, there were 244,600 EI claims, virtually unchanged from November. The number of claims provides an indication of the number of people who could become beneficiaries. Claims data pertain to initial and renewal claims received for any type of EI benefits, which includes special benefits, said the federal agency.
“There were decreases in Nova Scotia (-4.0 per cent), Ontario (-2.9 per cent), Prince Edward Island (-2.7 per cent) and Newfoundland and Labrador (-1.9 per cent). In contrast, the number of claims in December increased in Manitoba (+4.3 per cent), British Columbia (+4.2 per cent) and Quebec (+1.4 per cent),” it said.
“On a year-over-year basis, the number of claims at the national level was up 3.4 per cent. There were notable increases in Manitoba (+11.0 per cent), Saskatchewan (+8.3 per cent) and British Columbia (+8.1 per cent), while there were declines in Prince Edward Island (-6.0 per cent) and Newfoundland and Labrador (-4.1 per cent).”
Mario Toneguzzi is a business reporter in Calgary.
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