EI roll jumps 29.6% in Ontario

The number of people receiving regular employment insurance benefits in Ontario increased by 29.6 per cent in December from a year before, said Statistics Canada. That number of people jumped to over 167,000 showing a 4 per cent increase from November 2008.

Major centres in Ontario saw the largest rise with London up 75.5 per cent, Windsor up 61.3 per cent and Kitchener up 50.9 per cent over last year.

While Ontario was badly hit, British Columbia actually saw the largest provincial jump with a rise of 33.2 per cent. Alberta was also ahead of Ontario, with an increase of 30.3 per cent.

On the other end, New Brunswick saw the smallest jump, as unemployment rose 1.8 per cent from a year earlier.

With every province seeing an increase in people receiving benefits, Canada’s national average jump was 16.2 per cent. EI benefits rose to 538,180 in December 2008 from

463,000 in December 2007 on a seasonally adjusted basis, said Statistics Canada. On a monthly basis, benefits were up 4.9 per cent in December from 513,200 in November, as the country lost tens of thousands of jobs due to the economic downturn.

The number of men receiving benefits jumped 21.7 per cent for the year, compared with an 8.6 per cent increased for women. Both figures are calculated on an unadjusted basis.

TABLE

EI benefits in December (monthly % change / yearly %

change):

Canada 538,180 / +4.9 / +16.2

Newfoundland and Labrador36,880 / +0.5 / +4.2

Prince Edward Island 8,090 / +0.4 / +3.2

Nova Scotia 28,990 / +2.6 / +6.6

New Brunswick 30,490 / +0.5 / +1.8

Quebec 171,840 / +5.7 / +6.5

Ontario 167,190 / +4.0 / +29.6

Manitoba 11,220 / +2.1 / +16.5

Saskatchewan 8,710 / +2.6 / +2.7

Alberta 20,380 / +6.5 / +30.3

British Columbia 49,790 / +5.3 / +33.2

Yukon 880 / -3.3 / +15.8

Northwest Territories 700 / +6.1 / +9.4

Nunavut 400 / +2.6 / +25.0

Source: Statistics Canada