February 1, 2010

By the numbers

Alberta bucks trend as EI numbers rise

The number of people receiving regular employment insurance benefits in B.C. and Canada declined in November, while beneficiaries rose in Alberta for the third consecutive month.

Statistics Canada recently reported that the number of regular Employment Insurance (EI) beneficiaries in Canada declined 7,300 to 795,900 in November.

“The number of regular EI beneficiaries peaked in June at 829,300,” said the report.

“Since then, it has declined slightly. This is in contrast with the trend from October 2008 to June 2009, when monthly increases averaged 41,100 people.”

The number of regular beneficiaries in B.C. fell by 2,070 to 94,330, which is the second consecutive month of decline. The number of beneficiaries fell by 1,200 in October.

Since November 2008, all the large centres in B.C. had an increase in the number of beneficiaries. However, this increase was at a slower pace than in previous months.

The number of people receiving regular benefits in Vancouver doubled to 33,600, while it nearly doubled to 4,000 in Victoria.

Employment losses over the period in British Columbia were mainly in manufacturing and construction.

The number of EI beneficiaries in Alberta in November increased by 1160 to 75,300, which is the third rise time in as many months. However, the increase in November was smaller than the previous two months.

In Alberta, the number of beneficiaries at least doubled in all large centres. The fastest year-over-year percentage increases were in Camrose, Grande Prairie, Brooks and Calgary.

In Calgary, the number of people receiving regular benefits increased sharply from 4,600 to 18,700, while the number in Edmonton rose from 4,900 to 15,600.

These steep increases were caused by employment losses for the province in manufacturing; natural resources; retail and wholesale trade; and professional, scientific and technical services.

JOC News Service

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