indicatorThe Twenty-Four

EI rolls continue to shrink

The number of Albertans receiving regular EI benefits fell below 50,000 in June

By Rob Roach, ATB Economics 19 August 2022 1 min read

The seasonally-adjusted number of Albertans receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits fell for the 13th month in a row in June.

There were 51,380 recipients of regular EI benefits in May compared to 49,390 in June 2022— a decrease of 3.9%.

The number of regular beneficiaries in the province peaked in January 2021 at 207,200 and was sitting at 53,909 in February 2020 before the pandemic was declared*.

The waning number of EI recipients has tracked the decline in the unemployment rate.

Between June 2021 and June 2022, the seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in Alberta went from 8.9% to 4.9%.

Nationally, 485,820 Canadians received regular EI benefits in June, down by 1.4% from May.

The retightening of EI eligibility requirements that will take effect at the end of September will reduce the number of Albertans who can access the program.

*Unemployed Canadians were diverted to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) during the early months of the pandemic. As a result, the number of regular EI beneficiaries in Alberta fell to a low of 26,630 in August 2020 before rising rapidly when the CERB program was terminated.

Answer to the previous trivia question: Estimates vary, but there are about 1.42 billion cars in operation worldwide.

Today’s trivia question: In what year was the first Eaton’s catalogue published?

The number of regular EI beneficiaries in Alberta peaked in January 2021 at 207,200

The number of regular EI beneficiaries in Alberta peaked in January 2021 at 207,200


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