Claims down but recipients increase

REGINA — Despite having a record low unemployment rate, the number of Saskatchewan workers receiving Employment Insurance (EI) benefits increased by 30 to 10,740 in April from 10,710 in March, Statistics Canada reported Thursday.

“These figures provide a further indication that the record-low unemployment rate reported for April was an aberration,” said Erin Weir, United Steelworkers economist. “We also know from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey that provincial unemployment rebounded in May.

“Even with April’s modest increase in beneficiaries, only about half of Saskatchewan’s unemployed workers receive Employment Insurance benefits.”

On a year-over-year basis, the number of EI recipients in the province was down 310, or 2.8 per cent, from 11,050 in April 2013, the report said.

And the number of EI claims, an indicator of future beneficiaries, was down 11.7 per cent, or 690, to 5,220 in April from 5,910 in March, and down 15.5 per cent from 6,180 in April 2013.

Nationally, the number of people receiving regular EI benefits totalled 517,100 in April, up slightly from March. The number of beneficiaries has been relatively unchanged for almost a year, following a long-term downward trend that began in the summer of 2009.

Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick saw increases in the number of beneficiaries, while Newfoundland and Labrador posted a decline. There was little change in the other provinces.

The number of initial and renewal claims fell by 5.8 per cent in April, following an increase in March. The number of EI claims declined in seven provinces, as claims fell in Ontario and Alberta by 12.6 per cent and 12.0 per cent respectively.

At the same time, claims rose by 7.8 per cent in Manitoba, as well as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.