More than 2,000 fewer workers in Alberta received Employment Insurance in October.

Statistics Canada reported Wednesday 2,090 fewer Albertans received EI compared with a year ago. It was the largest drop in EI claimants in the country.

In the Calgary area, 630 fewer people received EI; in the Edmonton area, the number dropped by 2,200. Nationally, the number of people receiving regular EI has risen by 10,060 from a year ago.

“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,” stated StatsCan.

On a month-over-month basis, the Calgary region saw a decline of 120 people while Edmonton rose by 90. Canada was down 1,550 from the previous month.

In a recent note ATB Financial, in its daily economic update The Owl, said Alberta’s labour market continues to struggle to create enough jobs to make a significant dent in the provincial unemployment rate and despite a expectation of an uptick in GDP growth, “the unemployment rate is forecast to remain stubbornly high in 2020, at 6.9 per cent for the year.”

Statistics Canada said there were 239,900 claims in October, essentially unchanged from September. Claims data pertain to initial and renewal claims received for any type of EI benefits, which includes special benefits.

Claims fell in Nova Scotia (-3.2 per cent), Manitoba (-2.9 per cent) and Ontario (-2.5 per cent), while they increased in Alberta (+5.0 per cent) and Saskatchewan (+3.0 per cent), it said.

“Compared with October 2018, the number of claims rose by 4.4 per cent at the national level, with the largest increases in British Columbia (+7.9 per cent), Saskatchewan (+7.2 per cent) and Ontario (+6.7 per cent). In contrast, Newfoundland and Labrador (-5.3 per cent), as well as Nova Scotia (-2.5 per cent) had fewer claims.”

Mario Toneguzzi is a business reporter in Calgary.

© Calgary’s Business


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