EI beneficiaries fall in July for first time in 11 months

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EI beneficiaries fall in July for first time in 11 months


September 28, 2009

Sandra Guevara-Holguin, a counsellor at the Community Unemployed Help
Centre in Winnipeg, says she witnesses daily the pain the EI system
causes women scrambling to meet the demands of family life and the need
to have an income.

Sandra Guevara-Holguin, a counsellor at the Community Unemployed Help
Centre in Winnipeg, says she witnesses daily the pain the EI system
causes women scrambling to meet the demands of family life and the need
to have an income.
Photograph by: John Woods, Canwest News Service

OTTAWA � The number of people receiving employment insurance benefits
fell 3.8 per cent in July from the month before, the first decrease in
11 months, Statistics Canada reported Monday.

The largest declines were reported in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta and
the number of people receiving benefits fell by 31,500 to 787,700
nationally, the federal agency said.

Despite the July reprieve, the total number of regular beneficiaries
was still up 57.4 per cent, or by 287,400, above the level of October
2008.

"On the whole, we are encouraged by this report, and believe that it is
a reflection of the improving fortunes in the Canadian labour market
and the Canadian economy more generally," said TD Securities economics
strategist Millan Mulraine.

"However, given that the labour market remains a lagging indicator of
economic activity, we are likely to see only modest improvements in the
employment situation in the coming months, even though the economy has
began the slow process of economic recovery."

In Ontario, the number of beneficiaries fell 5.9 per cent, or by
16,800, to 266,800. In Quebec, the number of beneficiaries declined 5.3
per cent, or by 11,000, to 197,700. In Alberta the number fell 4.4 per
cent, or by 2,700, to 59,500.