Chapter 2: Impact and effectiveness of Employment Insurance benefits (Part I of the Employment Insurance Act)

Employment Insurance claims and amount paid

The total number of new EI claims established was 2.0 million in 2024-25, having increased by 2.2% compared to 2023-24. The total EI benefit payments increased by 10.2% to reach $23.1 billion in the reporting period compared to $21.0 billion in the previous fiscal year. This amount exceeds pre-pandemic levels and is the highest recorded in the past decade (consult Chart 1).

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Fiscal year	New claims established (millions)	Amount paid ($ billions)
2014-15	1.8	$15.8
2015-16	1.9	$17.7
2016-17	1.8	$18.5
2017-18	1.8	$18.7
2018-19	1.8	$16.7
2019-20	1.9	$17.5
2020-21*	Not available	Not available
2021-22**	2.1	$36.8
2022-23**	1.9	$19.7
2023-24	2.0	$21.0
2024-25	2.0	$23.1

• Note: Includes claims for which at least $1 of Employment Insurance benefits was paid.
• * Claims for EI regular and sickness benefits could not be established during the first half of 2020-21 due to the implementation of the Canada Emergency Response Benefits. Consequently, results for 2020-21 are not comparable with other fiscal years.
• ** Different EI temporary measures affecting the eligibility for EI benefits and the amount of EI benefits paid were in effect from September 27, 2020 to September 24, 2022.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on a 10% sample of data for 2014-15 to 2022-23 and 100% of data for 2023-24 and 2024-25.

According to Statistics Canada,^{Footnote 2} there were 809,000 beneficiaries receiving EI benefits on average each month during 2024-25. This is an increase of 7.3% compared to the previous year (754,100 in 2023-24) and an increase of 9.3% compared to pre-pandemic levels (740,200 in 2019-20). This increase was primarily driven by a higher number of beneficiaries receiving EI regular benefits in 2024-25.

• Notes: Data may not add up to the total due to rounding. Percentage change is based on unrounded numbers. Includes claims for which at least $1 of Employment Insurance benefits was paid. The sum of claims by benefit type does not add up as multiple benefit types can be combined in one single claim.
• Consult Annex 2.3 for more details.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

New Employment Insurance claims established

The higher number of new EI claims observed during the reporting period relative to 2023-24 is largely attributed to an increase in claims for EI regular benefits (consult Table 2). The share of regular claims among all new claims established was 68.5% in 2024-25, whereas the share of claims for sickness benefits ─ which were the second most common benefit type claimed ─ was 21.1% over the same period.

All provinces and territories, except the Atlantic provinces, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut experienced slight increases in the number of new EI claims established in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24 (consult Table 3). The number of new claims also increased for both genders, with men continuing to account for just over half (54.5%) of all new claims in 2024-25. All age groups, except for those under 25 years-old, also registered increases in their number of new EI claims established during the reporting period relative to the previous fiscal year.

• Notes: Data may not add up to the total due to rounding. Percentage change is based on unrounded numbers. Includes claims for which at least $1 of EI benefits was paid.
• Consult Annex 2.3 for more details.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Total amount paid in Employment Insurance benefits

In 2024-25, the total amount paid for all types of EI benefits combined reached $23.1 billion compared to $21.0 billion in the previous fiscal year. This 10.2% increase was mainly attributable to the rise in the amount paid in EI regular benefits over the same period (consult Table 2), driven primarily by a larger number of beneficiaries receiving these benefits in 2024-25, with additional contributions from increases in new claims established and in the average weekly benefit rate.

The share of EI regular benefits paid slightly increased from 61.1% in 2023-24 to 61.8% in 2024-25, while the share of EI special benefits paid decreased from 37.1% to 36.3% (consult Chart 2). The shares of the amount paid for the other benefit types in 2024-25 remained fairly stable compared to 2023-24. The breakdown of the amount paid by benefit type in 2024-25 was relatively similar to the shares of claims established by benefit type during the same period.

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Benefit type	Amount paid ($ millions)	Share in percentage (%)
Regular benefits	$14,290.9	61.8%
Work-Sharing benefits	$53.3	0.2%
Fishing benefits	$375.6	1.6%
Special benefits	$8,395.1	36.3%
Parental benefits	$3,744.5	16.2%
Sickness benefits	$2,969.7	12.8%
Maternity benefits	$1,516.0	6.6%
Compassionate care and family caregiving benefits	$164.9	0.7%
Amount paid in Employment Insurance benefits	$23,114.8	100.0%

• * The total amount paid reported in Chart 2 does not correspond to the total reported in Tables 2 and 3 because of some incompatibility of administrative data sources for family caregiver benefits.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

During the reporting period, Nunavut recorded a decline in EI benefits paid, while the remaining provinces and territories had an increase in EI benefits paid. Claimants in Ontario and Alberta had the biggest increases in their total amount paid in EI benefits in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24, with a growth of 15.3% and 10.5%, respectively.

In 2024-25, EI benefits paid to both genders and to each age group increased from the previous fiscal year. Women accounted for 49.6% of the EI benefits paid, 0.4 percentage points (p.p.) lower than in 2023-24 (50.0%), but similar to pre-pandemic levels (49.5% in 2019-20). The distribution of EI benefits paid across age groups remained relatively similar to the previous year.

Levels of benefits

The weekly benefit rate to which EI claimants are entitled is subject to the Variable Best Weeks (VBW) provision.^{Footnote 3} Under this provision, the weekly benefit rate is calculated based on an EI claimant's highest (best) weeks of insurable earnings during their qualifying period. The number of highest (best) weeks used under this provision ranges from 14 to 22, depending on the unemployment rate in the claimant's EI region at the time the claim is established (consult Table 4).

Note: The monthly regional unemployment rates used for the EI program are a 3-month moving average of seasonally adjusted rates of unemployment produced by Statistics Canada, except for EI regions in the territories which use the higher of the 3-month or 12-month moving average, as per section 17 of the Employment Insurance Regulations.

Under the EI program, the weekly benefit rate is paid as 55%^{Footnote 4} of the average weekly insurable earnings, up to the maximum weekly benefit rate in a given year. The maximum weekly benefit rate was $668 in 2024 and $695 in 2025 (except for extended parental benefits).^{Footnote 5}Claimants with children (under the age of 18 years) and low annual family income may also be eligible for the Family Supplement provision.^{Footnote 6}

For all claims established in 2024-25, excluding those for extended parental benefits, the average weekly benefit rate increased by 3.9% nationally to $581. This rise was similar to the 4.0% growth in maximum insurable earnings from 2024 to 2025. All provinces and territories recorded increases. Yukon had the highest average weekly benefit rate ($634), while Manitoba had the lowest average weekly benefit rate ($550). On average, men were entitled to a higher weekly benefit rate than women ($608 and $549, respectively). Claimants between 25 to 44 years old had the highest average weekly benefit rate ($596) among the age groups (consult Annex 2.3.2).

About half of all claimants (50.7%) who established a claim in 2024-25 were entitled to the maximum weekly benefit rate. This proportion was the highest in Nunavut (73.9%) and the lowest in New-Brunswick (38.4%). Men were proportionally more likely to receive the maximum weekly benefit rate (60.7%) compared to women (38.3%). A higher proportion of claimants between 25 to 44 years old received the maximum weekly benefit rate (55.8%) than any other age group.

Family Supplement provision

The EI Family Supplement provision provides additional benefits to EI claimants with dependent children under the age of 18 who have an annual family net income equal to or less than $25,921, increasing support for low-income families. The claimant must also receive the Canada Child Benefit.^{Footnote 7} Under the Family Supplement provision, which is available to claims of all EI benefit types, the weekly amount of family supplement can increase a claimant's benefit rate from 55% to a maximum of 80% of their weekly insurable earnings, up to the maximum weekly benefit rate. The supplement provided to eligible claimants is determined by the claimant's family net income, the number of children in the claimant's family, and the age of the claimant's children.^{Footnote 8}

In 2024-25, low-income families received a total of $50.9 million in additional EI benefits through the Family Supplement provision, compared to 48.6 million in 2023-24 (4.7% increase). The number of claims that received the family supplement decreased from almost 51,400 in 2023-24 to just under 49,100 in 2024-25 (4.4% decrease), which represents 2.4% of all claims established during the reporting period. The proportion of EI claims receiving the family supplement has decreased for the past 2 decades, from a high of 10.7% of all claims in 2000-01. This decrease can be explained by the fact that the eligibility threshold for this provision has not been indexed over time, as well as by changes in family composition and wage growth.

Women (80.9%) and claimants aged 25 to 44 (74.5%) continued to be the main demographic groups benefitting from the Family Supplement provision. The average family supplement to the weekly benefit rate was $46 in 2024-25 and has remained relatively unchanged over the years (consult Annex 2.23).

A departmental study^{Footnote 9} examined claims that would have been eligible to additional benefits under the EI Family Supplement provision if the annual family net income thresholds were adjusted for inflation. The study found that the share of EI claims eligible for the family supplement would be 2.9 p.p. higher if the annual family net income thresholds were adjusted for inflation for claims that started in 2022, whereas the family supplement to the weekly benefit rate would be, on average, $3 higher. If both the family net income thresholds and the family supplement amounts were adjusted for inflation, the family supplement to the weekly benefit rate would be, on average, $25 higher.

Supplemental Unemployment Benefit plans

While EI benefits provide temporary income support for claimants, employers can use a Supplemental Unemployment Benefit (SUB) plan to increase their employees' weekly earnings when they are unemployed due to a temporary stoppage of work, training, illness, injury or quarantine.^{Footnote 10} These SUB plans need to be registered with Service Canada so that supplemental payments (or top-ups) are not considered as earnings and are not deducted from EI benefits. The combined weekly payments from the plan and EI weekly benefits cannot exceed 95% of the employee's normal weekly earnings.

Employers can also provide supplemental payments to maternity, parental (including adoption), compassionate care and family caregiver benefits.^{Footnote 11} These plans do not have to be registered with Service Canada. The top-up amounts are not deducted from EI benefits if the combined weekly payments do not exceed 100% of the employee's normal weekly earnings and the plan does not use the supplemental payments to reduce other accumulated employment benefits (such as banked sick leave, vacation leave credits or severance pay).

Results on average weekly benefit rates presented in this chapter do not include any supplemental payments made to EI claimants by their employers.

Employment Insurance regular claims and amount paid by province or territory, gender and age

Table 7 outlines the number of new claims established for EI regular benefits and the amount paid in benefits by province or territory, gender and age. Compared to the previous fiscal year, the number of new claims established increased in Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies and British Columbia, while it decreased in the Atlantic provinces and the territories. Ontario had the highest relative increase compared to 2023-24, with an increase of 5.5% (+23,400 claims).

• Note: Data may not add up to the total due to rounding. Percentage change is based on unrounded numbers. Includes claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• Consult Annex 2.5 for more details.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Chart 6 illustrates the distribution of the labour force across provinces in comparison with the distribution of EI regular claims in 2024-25. The share of EI regular claims established in the Atlantic provinces and in Quebec was higher than their relative share of the labour force in 2024-25.

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Province	Share of labour force (%)	Share of regular claims established (%)
Newfoundland and Labrador	1.2%	4.0%
Prince Edward Island	0.5%	1.1%
Nova Scotia	2.5%	3.8%
New Brunswick	1.9%	4.3%
Quebec	21.8%	28.2%
Ontario	39.6%	31.8%
Manitoba	3.5%	3.2%
Saskatchewan	2.9%	2.6%
Alberta	12.2%	10.3%
British Columbia	13.9%	10.3%

• Note: Data may not add up to the total due to rounding. Includes claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• * The territories are not included as they represent a small share of EI regular claims established.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data. Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0287-01.

The amount paid in regular benefits in 2024-25 increased in all provinces and territories, except for the Northwest Territories (-$0.1 million) and Nunavut (-$0.4 million). Ontario had the highest relative increase in EI regular benefits paid compared the previous fiscal year, with an additional $843.6 million (+22.2%) paid to claimants from this province. This is consistent with Ontario having the highest increase in the number of new EI regular claims established among all regions this fiscal year.

Men established most EI regular claims (60.5%) and received most of the amount paid in EI regular benefits (65.8%) in 2024-25. These shares are similar to those recorded in 2023-24 and during the pre-pandemic years. Both men and women had comparable relative increases in EI regular claims established (+2.3% and +1.6% respectively) in 2024-25. Similarly, the amount paid in EI regular benefits increased by 11.6% for men and 11.4% for women.

The number of new EI regular claims established and regular benefits paid increased among all age groups in 2024-25. Claimants aged 25 to 44 years represented both the highest share of claims established (46.8%) and benefits paid (46.5%), while those aged 24 years old and under represented the lowest shares of claims established (9.1%) and the amount paid in regular benefits (8.4%). The distribution of claims established and regular benefits paid was similar across all age groups compared to the previous fiscal year.

Employment Insurance regular claims and amount paid by industry

The number of new EI regular claims increased by 23,800 (+2.9%) in services-producing industries in 2024-25, while it remained relatively stable in goods-producing industries, with a minor decrease of 1,700 claims (-0.3%) (consult Table 8). The number of new EI regular claims increased across all services-producing industries except for Information, culture and recreation (-5.8%), with the highest relative increase compared to 2023-24 recorded in Public administration (+9.7%).

• Note: Data may not add up to the total due to rounding. Percentage shares and change are based on unrounded numbers. Includes claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• * This industry sector comprises the industries with codes 55 (Management of companies and enterprises) and 56 (Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services).
• ** This industry sector comprises the industries with codes 51 (Information and cultural industries) and 71 (Arts, entertainment and recreation).
• *** For some claims, this information was not available in the data.
• Consult Annex 2.6 for more details.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Overall, services-producing industries accounted for the majority (61.0%) of EI regular claims established in 2024-25, an increase of 0.6 percentage points (p.p.) from the previous fiscal year. The Construction industry continued to represent the highest share of new EI regular claims (21.7%) among all industries, despite a small decrease (-0.9%) compared to the previous fiscal year.

The amount paid in EI regular benefits increased in both services-producing industries (+12.5%) and goods-producing industries (+9.1%) in 2024-25. Compared to the previous fiscal year, the amount paid in EI regular benefits increased across all individual industries, with the Construction industry accounting for the highest share (22.8% of the total amount paid).

Employment Insurance benefit repayments

EI benefit payments are considered taxable income, regardless of the type of benefits received. Depending on their net income and whether they received EI regular benefits, including fishing benefits and Work-sharing benefits, individuals may be required to repay a portion of these benefits when filing their income tax return.

Under the Employment Insurance Act, claimants must repay a portion of EI benefits they received if their net income^{Footnote 19} for a year exceeds 1.25 times the maximum yearly insurable earnings.^{Footnote 20} In such cases, claimants are required to repay 30% of the lesser of:

• the amount of net income exceeding the threshold, or
• the total regular benefits, including fishing benefits and Work-sharing benefits, received during the taxation year

The threshold was $76,875 for the 2023 taxation year, which was the most recent data period available at the time this report was produced. Claimants who received EI special benefits are exempt from the benefit repayment requirement.^{Footnote 21} In addition, those who received less than one week of EI regular or fishing benefits in the previous 10 taxation years are also exempt from repaying benefits.

In the 2023 taxation year, approximately 171,000 claimants repaid a total of $278.6 million in EI benefits (consult Table 9). Compared to 2022, this represents a decrease of 3.9% in the number of claimants who repaid benefits and 3.7% in the amount repaid. On average, each claimant subject to the benefit repayment provision repaid $1,633, an amount similar to 2022, despite each claimant receiving, on average, slightly higher benefits in 2023 ($7,046) compared to 2022 ($6,871).

• Note: Data may not add up to the total due to rounding.
• * For confidentiality purposes, data for non-residents of Canada have been combined with those for Quebec.
• Consult Annex 2.28 for more details.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

The majority of claimants who repaid benefits were men (86.8%) and were aged between 25 and 44 years (45.7%). These shares were similar to the ones observed in recent years.

Claimants who worked in goods-producing industries continued to account for the majority of individuals who repaid benefits (65.7%) and the amount repaid (64.3%) in 2023. Both shares increased in 2023 and are now similar to pre-pandemic levels, as a higher share of claimants from the services-producing industries repaid benefits in 2021 and 2022 following an increase in claimants from these industries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Construction industry represented the largest share of claimants who repaid benefits (48.1%) and the amount repaid (44.6%) in 2023, with the share of claimants who repaid benefits from this industry reaching its highest level in over 8 years.

Employment Insurance regular benefits and firms

According to the 2023 tax data, the most recent data available at the time this report was produced, approximately 1.32 million firms^{Footnote 22} operated in Canada in 2023, which is similar to the number reported in 2022 (consult Table 10). Of all Canadian firms that operated in 2023, about 307,000 firms (23.3%) employed at least one person who had received EI regular benefits during that year. This represented a decrease of approximately 34,600 firms compared to the previous taxation year, when 26.0% of firms employed at least one person who had received EI regular benefits during the same year (-2.7 p.p.).

• Note: Data may not add up due to rounding.
• * Small firms are defined as those that employ 1 to 19 individuals. Small-to-medium firms employ 20 to 99 individuals. Medium-to-large firms employ 100 to 499 individuals. Large firms employ 500 individuals or more.
• ** This category also includes firms for which the firm's size could not be determined based on the tax records.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of EI administrative data. Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), CRA administrative data. Results are based on 100% of CRA data.

Consistent with past trends, the share of firms with at least one employee who received EI regular benefits increases with firm size. In 2023, 18.1% of small firms had at least one former employee who received EI regular benefits. That share increased to 68.4% for small-to-medium firms, 93.0% for medium-to-large firms and 99.4% for large firms. These shares were lower in 2023 than in 2022 across all firm sizes.

Employees from smaller firms remained overrepresented among claimants for EI regular benefits in 2023 when comparing the distribution of claimants by firm size to the distribution of the overall workforce by firm size (consult Table 11). Small firms accounted for 20.7% of the total workforce in 2023, while representing 27.4% of all claimants for EI regular benefits. Similarly, small-to-medium firms represented 19.5% of the workforce and 23.4% of claimants. On the other hand, large firms represented 43.5% of the workforce compared to only 32.1% of claimants. Certain industry-related characteristics, such as the greater prevalence of seasonal jobs in smaller firms may have an influence on this pattern, as employees from these firms are generally more likely to rely on EI benefits, relative to other industries.^{Footnote 23}

• Note: Data may not add up due to rounding.
• * Small firms are defined as those that employ 1 to 19 individuals. Small-to-medium firms employ 20 to 99 individuals. Medium-to-large firms employ 100 to 499 individuals. Large firms employ 500 individuals or more.
• ** This category also includes firms for which the firm's size could not be determined based on the tax records.
• *** The number of workers in a firm is the number of individuals with employment income in that firm, as indicated on a T4 form. The number of workers is adjusted so that each individual in the labour force is only counted once and individuals who work for more than one firm are taken into account. For example, if an employee earned $25,000 in firm 1 and $25,000 in firm 2, that employee was recorded as 0.5 employees at the first firm and 0.5 employees at the second firm.
• **** These are based on the number of people who received EI regular benefits in 2023.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of EI administrative data. Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), CRA administrative data. Results are based on 100% of CRA data.

Employment Insurance regular claims and amount paid by claimant category

To analyze claimants' employment patterns, this report classifies EI regular claims into 3 categories based on EI premiums paid and benefits used in recent years. Prior to their most recent claim, long-tenured workers typically had strong labour market attachment and minimal EI usage. Frequent claimants had established multiple EI claims and received several weeks of benefits over the past few years. Occasional claimants represent all other patterns of claims established.^{Footnote 24}

By age group, long-tenured workers are mostly found among claimants aged 35-44, 45-54 and 55 years and over. Frequent claimants are mostly found among men aged 55 years and over, primarily from the Atlantic provinces, and are employed in goods-producing industries.

Table 12 shows the number of claims established for EI regular benefits and the amount paid by claimant category. The number of new claims established in 2024-25 increased in all 3 categories, with a notable increase of 13,400 claims among long-tenured workers (+4.3%). Despite this increase, occasional claimants continued to account for more than half (56.8%) of the share of EI regular claims established in 2024-25. Similarly, the amount paid in EI regular benefits increased in all 3 categories, with long-tenured workers having the highest relative increase (+19.1%) from the previous fiscal year.

• Note: Data may not add up to the total due to rounding. Percentage change is based on unrounded numbers. Includes claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• Consult Annex 2.5 for more details.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Employment Insurance regular claims by hours of insurable employment and unemployment rate in the EI region of establishment

To qualify for EI regular benefits, claimants must have worked a minimum number of insurable hours during their qualifying period, ranging from 420 to 700 hours. This requirement, known as the Variable Entrance Requirement (VER), depends on the unemployment rate in the EI region where the claimant resides at the time of submitting their application for EI benefits (consult Table 13). The higher the regional unemployment rate, the fewer hours of insurable employment required to qualify for EI regular benefits, and vice versa (consult Annex 2.2 for a full breakdown). A detailed discussion on the eligibility and access to EI regular benefits is provided in subsection 2.2.2.

Chart 7 shows the distribution of EI regular claims by the number of hours of insurable employment used to qualify, for both men and women. Overall, men tend to accumulate more hours than women before establishing a claim. In 2024-25, 31.3% of claims for EI regular benefits established by men had 1,820 or more hours of insurable employment, compared to 21.3% of claims established by women. Similarly, just under half of claims established by men (48.7%) had 1,540 hours or more, compared to 37.9% of women. On the other hand, claimants who accumulated between 420 and 699 hours of insurable employment represented the smallest share for both genders, with women at a slightly higher share (3.5%) than men (3.1%). Both of these shares were slightly higher than the previous fiscal year (+0.6 p.p. and +0.7 p.p., respectively).

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Hours of insurable employment	Share of claims (% of total) men	Share of claims (% of total) women
420 to 699 hours	3.1%	3.5%
700 to 979 hours	15.2%	17.0%
980 to 1,259 hours	16.5%	19.2%
1,260 to 1,539 hours	16.4%	22.4%
1,540 to 1,819 hours	17.5%	16.7%
1,820 hours and more	31.3%	21.3%

• Note: Data may not add up to the total due to rounding. Includes claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• Consult Annex 2.7 for more details.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Table 14 presents the number and distribution of EI regular claims established in 2024-25, along with the labour force and unemployed population by regional unemployment rate. In 2024-25, EI regions with an unemployment rate of 6.0% or lower accounted for the highest share of EI regular claims established (35.0%) and the labour force (31.8%). However, these shares are significantly lower than in 2023-24, when these regions represented 61.6% of EI regular claims (-26.6 p.p.) and 62.6% of the labour force (-30.8 p.p.). The distribution of EI regular claims established in 2024-25 is more similar to the one observed during the pre-pandemic years than the one in recent years.

• Note: Data may not add up to the total due to rounding. Includes claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• * Unemployment rates used for the Employment Insurance program are a 3-month moving average of seasonally adjusted rates of unemployment produced by Statistics Canada, as per section 17 of the Employment Insurance Regulations.
• Consult Annex 2.7 for more details.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data. Statistics Canada, special tabulations from the Labour Force Survey.

As previously mentioned, the share of EI regular claims in regions with an unemployment rate of 6.0% or lower decreased significantly in 2024-25 compared to recent fiscal years. Chart 8 shows this decrease was offset by a significant increase in the share of EI regular claims established in regions with unemployment rates between 6.1% and 8.0% (42.0%; +17.8 p.p.) and between 8.1% and 10.0% (15.9%; +9.8 p.p.) in 2024-25. This shift is consistent with the increase in the national unemployment rate, which went from an average of 5.6% in 2023-24 to 6.6% in 2024-25. However, regions with an unemployment rate above 10.0% only represented 7.2% of EI regular claims, which is slightly lower than recent years, and significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels.

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Category	Share of claims (%) 2018-19	Share of claims (%) 2019-20	Share of claims (%) 2022-23	Share of claims (%) 2023-24	Share of claims (%) 2024-25
Regional unemployment rate: 6.0% or less	31.8%	50.1%	64.9%	61.6%	35.0%
Regional unemployment rate: 6.1% to 8.0%	47.1%	30.6%	21.1%	24.2%	42.0%
Regional unemployment rate: 8.1% to 10.0%	4.2%	3.3%	2.5%	5.7%	15.9%
Regional unemployment rate: 10.1% to 13.0%	7.0%	6.4%	5.9%	4.7%	3.6%
Regional unemployment rate: 13.1% or more	9.9%	9.6%	5.7%	3.8%	3.6%
National unemployment rate	5.8%	5.9%	5.1%	5.6%	6.6%

• Note: Includes claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• * Unemployment rates used for the Employment Insurance program are a 3-month moving average of seasonally adjusted rates of unemployment produced by Statistics Canada, as per section 17 of the Employment Insurance Regulations.
• ** Results are not presented for 2020-21 and 2021-22 because a minimum unemployment rate of 13.1% was in effect between September 27, 2020 and September 25, 2021, due to the first set of EI temporary measures.
• Consult Annex 2.7 for more details.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on a 10% sample of data for 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2022-23 and 100% of data for 2023-24 and 2024-25. Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0287-01 (for unemployment rates).

Claimants' obligations to search for and accept suitable employment

Under the Employment Insurance Act, claimants for EI regular benefits must be capable of and available for work and be unable to obtain suitable employment. This requirement, which must be met in order to receive EI regular benefits, can be demonstrated through reasonable and customary efforts to obtain suitable employment.^{Footnote 25}

Claimants may be disqualified or disentitled from receiving EI regular benefits if they fail to meet specific entitlement conditions. They may be disqualified if they refuse suitable work or fail to search for work, and may be disentitled if they are not capable of or available for work during each period of unemployment. Disqualification can also result from specific actions or inactions and may last indefinitely or for a specific number of weeks. Disentitlement applies on a day-to-day basis for as long as the claimant's situation remains unchanged.

Table 15 outlines the number of disqualifications and disentitlements over the past fiscal years for specific reasons related to the requirement for claimants to be capable and available for work and be unable to find suitable employment. These results cannot be compared to the number of EI claims, as multiple disqualifications and disentitlements can be imposed on a single claim. In 2024-25, 90 disqualifications were due to claimants refusing suitable work and 680 to claimants failing to search for work, while there were just under 376,000 disentitlements related to claimants not being capable or available for work. While disqualifications for refusal of work and failure to search for work remained below pre-pandemic levels, disentitlements for not being capable or available for work have now surpassed pre-pandemic levels. It is important to note that the results also do not take into consideration that benefits would generally have been reinstated after claimants who were disentitled demonstrated that they were once again fulfilling their responsibilities, or after claimants who were disqualified served their weeks of disqualification.

• * The total for 2019-20 is calculated using monthly estimates from April 2019 to February 2020 and excludes data for the month of March 2020. Additionally, 2020-21 is excluded from the table because no new claims for EI regular benefits could be established between March 15 and September 26, 2020, when the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) was introduced. As a result, the Employment Insurance Statistics program was suspended between the March and September 2020 reference months. Consequently, data on the number of EI disqualifications and disentitlements are not available for this period.
• ** Claimants may be disqualified or disentitled from benefits for reasons other than failing to meet the requirement of being capable and available for work and be unable to find suitable employment. Other reasons for disqualifications include claimants leaving employment without just cause, losing employment due to misconduct, or failing without good reason to follow directions from the Canada Employment Insurance Commission (CEIC), attend required interviews, or participate in referred training or activities. Other reasons for disentitlements include claimants working full-time, being involved in a labour dispute, being outside Canada or incarcerated during a claim, failing to provide required documentation, or taking a voluntarily leave without just cause.
• Source: Statistics Canada, monthly Employment Insurance disqualifications and disentitlements, Table 14-10-0004-01.

Coverage of Employment Insurance regular benefits

The coverage rate of EI regular benefits shows the proportion of unemployed individuals who contributed to the EI program by paying EI premiums in the preceding 52 weeks prior to becoming unemployed. Thus, the coverage rate is calculated by dividing the number of unemployed individuals who had insurable employment and paid EI premiums within the previous 52 weeks by the number of total unemployed individuals in Canada. In 2024, the coverage rate was 64.5%, 1.5 p.p. lower than what was observed in 2023 (66.0%).

Higher coverage rates of EI regular benefits are usually observed during economic slowdowns, as slowing economic activities lead to layoffs that increase the share of unemployed EI contributors among all unemployed individuals. For example, the coverage rates were higher in 2015 and 2016, during the downturn in commodity prices, and in 2021 due to layoffs following the COVID-19 pandemic (consult Chart 11). The coverage rate slightly decreased in 2024 compared to 2023 (-1.5 p.p.). This contrasts with the usual trend but could be explained by the easing of labour market conditions driven in part by new entrants to the labour force searching for employment in 2024. This resulted in a relative lower share of unemployed individuals who had paid EI premiums among all unemployed individuals in 2024 compared to 2023.

Text description

Year	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020*	2021	2022	2023	2024
Coverage rate of Employment Insurance regular benefits	61.7%	62.5%	61.0%	65.3%	65.3%	63.0%	63.9%	61.5%	Not available	71.0%	59.2%	66.0%	64.5%

• * Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the data collection on EI regular benefits was suspended in the EICS 2020.
• Source: Statistics Canada, Employment Insurance Coverage Survey, 2012 to 2024.

Table 16 outlines the coverage rates of EI regular benefits in 2024 by province,^{Footnote 28} gender, age, and previous work patterns. Consistent with historical patterns, the Atlantic provinces generally have higher coverage rates than the rest of the country. This may be explained by the composition of unemployed individuals, such as the prevalence of the seasonal employment pattern in that region.^{Footnote 29} Saskatchewan and Ontario had the lowest coverage rates in 2024 (52.9% and 58.6%, respectively).

• ^E As per the EICS release guidelines, this estimate should be used with caution.
• * Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the data collection on EI regular benefits was suspended in the EICS 2020.
• ** The coverage rates of unemployed individuals for most of the work pattern categories are higher than the national average. This can be explained by the 0% coverage rate of unemployed individuals for whom a previous work pattern is not applicable because they never worked before. The national average is lower because these individuals are included.
• *** Seasonal employment is temporary work that is expected to last only until the end of a 'season'—the period for which services are in demand.
• **** Other non-standard refers to non-permanent paid jobs that were either temporary, term, contractual, casual or other non-permanent (but not seasonal) employment. This excludes unemployed individuals who were self-employed.
• Source: Statistics Canada, Employment Insurance Coverage Survey, 2019 to 2024.

Consistent with trends in previous years, the coverage rate for men was higher than that for women in 2024. The lower coverage rate for women can be explained by the fact that unemployed women are less likely to have recent insurable employment compared to unemployed men. The coverage rate of younger unemployed individuals was still the lowest and the coverage rate for those aged 45 years and older remained the highest in 2024.

When the unemployed population is categorized by their previous work patterns, results show that a higher share of unemployed individuals with previous non-permanent jobs paid EI premiums in the previous 52 weeks than those who had permanent jobs. This can be explained by the higher coverage rate of unemployed individuals who worked in non-permanent seasonal jobs. As these individuals work for a few weeks or months on a cyclical pattern over a year, they are more likely to have paid EI premiums in the previous 52 weeks than those who were in permanent jobs and might be unemployed for more than a year. Among unemployed individuals who previously held permanent jobs, the coverage rate in 2024 for those who had part-time jobs was lower than the one for those who had full-time jobs. Among unemployed individuals who previously were in non-permanent employment, those who had seasonal work had a higher coverage rate in 2024 compared to those who had non-seasonal non-standard work, consistent to historical trends.

Eligibility for Employment Insurance regular benefits

As mentioned at the beginning of this subsection, claimants for EI regular benefits must meet 3 criteria to be considered eligible (they must have paid EI premiums, have a valid reason for job separation, and have accumulated the required number of hours of insurable employment during their qualifying period). The eligibility rate is expressed as the share of unemployed individuals with sufficient hours of insurable employment among those who meet the other 2 eligibility criteria.

As illustrated by the "all unemployed individuals" line in Chart 12, the eligibility rate for EI regular benefits in Canada has ranged from 81.9% to 87.4% in the past decade (excluding 2022). The rate for 2024 stood at 83.1%, unchanged from 2023. When labour market conditions ease and unemployment rates increase, the entrance requirements for EI regular benefits are generally lower. This might translate in a higher share of unemployed individuals eligible for regular benefits as they need fewer hours of insurable employment to qualify. However, in 2024, this share stayed unchanged compared to 2023 despite the rise in the national unemployment rate (5.4% in 2023 versus 6.4% in 2024).^{Footnote 30} The eligibility rate for unemployed individuals who previously had permanent employment has historically been higher than the one of those who had non-permanent employment.

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Year	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020*	2021**	2022***	2023	2024
Eligibility rate for all unemployed individuals	81.9%	85.8%	83.1%	82.8%	85.4%	84.3%	87.4%	82.4%	Not available	Not available	89.6%	83.1%	83.1%
Eligibility rate for unemployed individuals who were in permanent employment	89.9%	91.4%	87.7%	90.0%	92.8%	91.7%	92.8%	89.3%	Not available	Not available	Not available	86.8%	87.8%
Eligibility rate for unemployed individuals who were in non-permanent employment	72.2%	79.0%	77.7%	72.2%	75.7%	76.7%	80.1%R	74.4%	Not available	Not available	Not available	78.2%R	76.6%

• * Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the data collection on EI regular benefits was suspended in the EICS 2020.
• ** Due to the EI temporary measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic in place from September 2020 to September 2021, the eligibility rate for 2021 was not comparable to the other years and not released by Statistics Canada.
• *** The eligibility rate for 2022 was higher than the other years. Due to the EI temporary measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic in place from September 2021 to September 2022, such as the minimum 420 hours of insurable employment to be eligible for EI regular benefits and the simplified treatment of reasons for separation, the rate for 2022 should not be directly compared to the other years.
• ^R Revised data.
• Source: Statistics Canada, Employment Insurance Coverage Survey, 2012 to 2024.

The eligibility rates for EI regular benefits are sensitive to economic conditions and specific employment patterns during the qualifying period, such as the incidence of full-time versus part-time employment, and permanent versus temporary employment. Because of this, significant variations are found when unemployed individuals are classified based on regional, demographic and previous employment characteristics.

As outlined in Table 17, unemployed individuals in Saskatchewan and Manitoba had lower eligibility rates compared to the national average in 2024. In comparison, those in the Atlantic provinces had generally higher eligibility rates.

• ^E As per the EICS release guidelines, this estimate should be used with caution.
• * Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the data collection on EI regular benefits was suspended in the EICS 2020. Due to the EI temporary measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic in place from September 2020 to September 2022, eligibility rates for 2021 and 2022 were not comparable to the other years.
• ** Seasonal employment is temporary work that is expected to last only until the end of a 'season'—the period for which services are in demand.
• *** Other non-standard refers to non-permanent paid jobs that were either temporary, term, contractual, casual or other non-permanent (but not seasonal) employment. This excludes unemployed individuals who were self-employed.
• Source: Statistics Canada, Employment Insurance Coverage Survey, 2017 to 2024.

Consistent with previous years, unemployed men registered higher eligibility rates than unemployed women in 2024, probably due to the fact that a higher proportion of men hold full-time jobs or permanent jobs or both, while a higher proportion of women work in part-time jobs or temporary jobs or both. This means that unemployed women are less likely to accumulate sufficient hours of insurable employment. By age, unemployed youth aged 24 years and under continued to have the lowest eligibility rate in 2024, compared to unemployed individuals aged between 25 and 44 years and those aged 45 years and over.

Additionally, unemployed individuals who had part-time or non-permanent employment were less likely to accumulate the required number of hours of insurable employment in 2024 due to their work pattern, resulting in lower eligibility rate compared to the national average.

Access to Employment Insurance regular benefits

Access to EI regular benefits is another way to measure how the EI program is providing financial support to Canada's unemployed individuals following a job loss and helping them transition to new employment. For the purpose of the EI Monitoring and Assessment Report, access to EI regular benefits is measured by 2 rates: the Beneficiary-to-Unemployed (B/U) rate and the Beneficiary-to-Unemployed Contributor (B/UC) rate.

The rates' numerator (B) and denominators (U and UC) are both obtained from the EICS. The number of unemployed individuals who received EI regular benefits (B) includes those who received EI regular benefits at the time they were surveyed (including those who had their benefits temporarily interrupted or waiting to receive benefits) as well as those who received but exhausted their EI regular benefits within 12 months of the time they were surveyed to incorporate all beneficiaries in the year.

The Beneficiary-to-Unemployed (B/U) rate is the share of unemployed individuals who received EI regular benefits among all unemployed individuals. As such, it includes a significant segment of the unemployed population who are ineligible for EI regular benefits (such as those who did not work in the previous year or never worked, who did not have a valid job separation, and those who were self-employed). As a result, the B/U rate is sensitive to changes in the composition of the unemployed population and the proportion of the unemployed individuals outside the scope of the EI program's coverage.

The Beneficiary-to-Unemployed Contributor (B/UC) rate is the share of unemployed individuals who received EI regular benefits among the unemployed individuals who contributed EI premiums in the previous 12 months. The B/UC rate measures accessibility among unemployed individuals for whom EI regular benefits are designed to provide coverage and excludes those who did not contribute EI premiums during their last employment period or did not have any labour force attachment. As a result, this rate provides a better assessment of accessibility to EI regular benefits.

Chart 13 illustrates the B/U and B/UC rates from 2012 to 2024. In 2024, the B/U rate was 39.2% and the B/UC rate was 60.8%, virtually unchanged from 2023 (39.9% and 60.4%, respectively). In 2024, the total number of unemployed individuals who received EI regular benefits (B), unemployed individuals (U) and unemployed individuals who contributed EI premiums (UC) all increased roughly at the same pace compared to the previous year. As a result, the B/U and B/UC rates in 2024 remained similar to those in 2023. With the exception of 2021 and 2022, when EI temporary measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic expanded access to EI benefits, both access rates remained relatively stable over the past decade.

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Year	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020*	2021	2022	2023	2024
B/U rate	34.7%	37.2%	33.9%	40.0%	41.7%	37.9%	37.1%	34.7%	Not available	62.3%	42.2%	39.9%	39.2%
B/UC rate	56.2%	59.6%	55.6%	61.3%	63.8%	60.1%	58.0%	56.4%	Not available	87.7%	71.3%	60.4%	60.8%

• * Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the data collection on EI regular benefits was suspended in the EICS 2020.
• Source: Statistics Canada, Employment Insurance Coverage Survey, 2012 to 2024.

Duration of Employment Insurance regular benefits

As illustrated in Chart 15, the average maximum entitlement of completed EI regular claims increased from 28.4 weeks in 2023-24 to 29.6 weeks in 2024-25 (+4.2% or +1.2 weeks). The average actual duration also increased from 16.9 weeks in 2023-24 to 17.6 weeks in 2024-25 (+4.0% or +0.7 weeks). The increase in both entitlement and duration is attributable in part to the higher unemployment rate observed in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24.

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Fiscal year	2015-16*	2016-17*	2017-18*	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21**	2021-22***	2022-23****	2023-24R	2024-25P
Average maximum entitlement	32.1	33.7	32.6	30.3	29.7	31.1	Not comparable	28.0	28.4R	29.6P
Average actual duration	19.3	20.7	20.3	18.5	18.2	21.1	Not comparable	16.8	16.9R	17.6P
Unemployment rate	7.1%	6.9%	6.2%	5.8%	5.9%	10.2%	6.8%	5.1%	5.6%	6.6%

• Note: Includes completed claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• *A temporary measure extended the number of weeks of EI regular benefits for claimants in 15 EI regions that were hit the hardest by the downturn in commodity prices during this period.
• **Includes claims established before March 15, 2020 and completed in 2020-21.
• ***Most claims completed in 2021-22 were entitled 50 weeks of EI regular benefits, therefore their average actual duration is not comparable with the other fiscal years.
• ****Includes claims established on or after September 26, 2021 and completed in 2022-23.
• ^P Preliminary data.
• ^R Revised data.
• Sources: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on a 10% sample of EI administrative data for 2015-16 to 2020-21 and 100% of EI administrative data for 2022-23 to 2024-25 (for average maximum entitlement and average actual duration). Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0287-01 (for data on unemployment rates).

The average proportion of EI regular benefit weeks used in completed claims slightly decreased from 62.7% in 2023-24 to 62.2% in 2024-25. This was also lower than the proportion recorded for completed claims in 2022-23 (64.1%).

Duration of Employment Insurance regular claims by province or territory, gender, age, claimant category and industry

The duration of EI regular claims completed in 2024-25 varied significantly across provinces and territories, reflecting differences in regional labour market and labour market characteristics in 2024-25, as outlined in Table 23. EI regular claims established in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nunavut had the highest average maximum entitlement (36.6 weeks for both). These significantly higher maximum entitlements compared to the national average (29.6 weeks) can be explained in part by the high unemployment rates observed in these jurisdictions (the unemployment rate was 10.1% in Newfoundland and Labrador and 8.3% in Nunavut in 2024-25).^{Footnote 36}These 2 jurisdictions also had the highest average actual duration (25.9 weeks and 26.3 weeks, respectively) and, as a result, were among the highest average proportion of regular benefit weeks used (72.8% and 72.0%, respectively) (consult Table 24 for proportions of EI regular benefit weeks used). In comparison, EI regular claims established in British Columbia and Quebec had the lowest average maximum entitlement among provinces (27.9 weeks and 28.4 weeks, respectively) corresponding to the lower unemployment rates generally observed in these provinces. Claims established in Quebec (15.1 weeks) and British Columbia (16.9 weeks) also registered the lowest average actual duration among all provinces in 2024-25. This resulted in a relatively low average proportion of EI regular benefit weeks used in these provinces. The Northwest Territories went from the second lowest average actual duration in 2023-24 (15.4 weeks) to one of the highest in 2024-25 (22.1 weeks). This represents an increase of 43.3% (or +6.7 weeks) even though the unemployment rate was fairly low at 5.4% in 2024-25. This increase was also reflected in the average proportion of EI regular benefit weeks used that went from 55.6% to 73.9% (+18.3 p.p.).

• Note: Percentage changes are based on unrounded numbers. Includes completed claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• ^P Preliminary data.
• ^R Revised data.
• Consult Annex 2.5 for more details on average actual duration.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

• Note: Changes in percentage points are based on unrounded numbers. Includes completed claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• ^P Preliminary data.
• ^R Revised data.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

The average maximum entitlement of EI regular claims completed in 2024-25 was lower for women (28.4 weeks) than men (30.4 weeks) partly because they are more likely to work in part-time jobs and to accumulate less hours of insurable employment. Women also used on average fewer weeks of regular benefits compared to men in 2024-25 (16.9 weeks and 18.0 weeks, respectively). In terms of proportion, women used on average a slightly lower share of their regular benefits entitlement than men in 2024-25 (61.3% for women compared to 62.7% for men).

In terms of age groups, claimants aged 24 and under had the lowest average maximum entitlement (27.8 weeks) and the lowest average actual duration (15.6 weeks) of EI regular claims completed in 2024-25. Similar to women, this is partly because this age group is more likely to work in part-time jobs and to accumulate less hours of insurable employment. In comparison, claimants aged 55 and over used, on average, the highest number of weeks of regular benefits (19.8 weeks) and the highest proportion of their regular benefits entitlement (70.2%) in 2024-25.

With regard to claimant categories, long-tenured workers generally have higher maximum entitlements than occasional and frequent claimants, as they are more likely to accumulate hours of insurable employment well above the minimum requirements for EI regular benefits. This was true for completed claims in 2024-25 (32.3 weeks, 28.6 weeks and 29.3 weeks, respectively). On average, occasional and frequent claimants used more weeks of EI regular benefits than long-tenured workers. This was reflected in their average proportion of regular benefit weeks used, as frequent (74.7%) and occasional (62.9%) claimants used proportionally more weeks of regular benefits than long-tenured workers (49.6%) in 2024-25. This discrepancy between categories of claimants can be explained by the fact that long tenured workers generally have stronger labour market attachment, tend to have more weeks of regular benefits entitlement, and collect fewer weeks of benefits. As such, they use a lower proportion of their benefit weeks. However, the average actual duration of EI regular claims completed by long-tenured workers increased by 8.0% (+1.1 weeks) in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24.

In terms of industry breakdown, EI regular claims completed in 2024-25 with the highest average actual durations were from Finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (21.1 weeks), Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (20.8 weeks), and Wholesale and retail trade (20.4 weeks). These industries also used a higher share of their regular benefits entitlement on average than the national level (69.6%, 73.9% and 69.7%, respectively). Conversely, claims established by claimants from the Educational services industry had the lowest average actual duration (10.7 weeks) and the lowest average proportion of regular benefit weeks used (43.3%) due to the seasonal nature of this sector and the relatively short and well defined "off-season" over the summer months (consult Annex 2.6.2). The highest increase in average actual duration of EI regular claims completed in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24, was in the Information, culture and recreation industry (+1.5 weeks or +8.5%).

Proportion of Employment Insurance regular benefit weeks used by weeks of entitlement, EI regional unemployment rate and working while on claim status

As with the duration of EI regular benefits, a few factors may influence the proportion of entitlement used by claimants; for instance, the number of hours of insurable employment, the EI regional unemployment rates and working while on claim.

Claimants with a greater number of hours of insurable employment and those residing in EI regions with lower unemployment rates are more likely to find employment following a job separation before they exhaust their weeks of EI benefits. Therefore, they use a lower proportion of their maximum entitlement for EI regular benefits.

As shown in Table 25, on average for EI regular claims completed in 2024-25, claimants with the lowest number of entitlement weeks (between 14 and 19 weeks) used 81.5% of their entitlement compared to claimants with the highest number of weeks of entitlement (45 weeks) who only used 46.7% of their entitlement.

• Note: Changes in percentage points are based on unrounded numbers. Includes completed claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• ^P Preliminary data.
• ^R Revised data.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Conversely, higher proportions of entitlement used are generally associated with EI regions with higher unemployment rates. Although these EI regions typically provide higher entitlement, they are also often characterized by weaker labour market conditions. For claims completed in 2024-25, those in lower EI unemployment rate regions (6% or lower) used on average 62.2% of their entitlement, whereas claims in higher EI unemployment rate regions (13.1% and higher) used on average 66.7% of their entitlement.

Claimants working while on claim generally use a lower portion of their entitlement, as they may have a stronger labour market attachment and may also defer weeks of EI regular benefits. This leads to a lower proportion of their entitlement weeks used compared to claimants who did not work while on claim (on average 56.5% versus 66.3%, respectively, in 2024-25).^{Footnote 37}

Entitlement exhaustion of Employment Insurance regular benefits

Of the total EI regular claims completed in 2024-25, 34.4% exhausted their entitlement for EI regular benefits, a decrease of 0.6 p.p. compared to claims completed in 2023-24 (consult Chart 16). The entitlement exhaustion rates in 2023-24 and 2024-25 were lower than those recorded in 2020-21 (36.9%) and 2022-23 (36.4%) which were likely impacted by the economic slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the EI temporary measures introduced to facilitate access to the EI program, respectively. In comparison, entitlement exhaustion rates in 2023-24 and 2024-25 were higher than those observed before the pandemic (33.1% on average over the 2018-19 and 2019-20 period). This could be explained in part by an increase in the national unemployment rate during those 2 fiscal years‒rising from 5.1% in April 2023 to 6.7% in March 2025‒ which may have made it more difficult for unemployed individuals to find employment. In addition, the higher entitlement exhaustion rates could also be explained by the lower average maximum entitlement for claims completed in 2023-24 and 2024-25 than that of claims completed before the pandemic as illustrated in Chart 15 in subsection 2.2.4.

Text description

Fiscal year	2015-16*	2016-17*	2017-18*	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21**	2021-22***	2022-23****	2023-24	2024-25
Entitlement exhaustion rate	31.2%	34.9%	34.1%	33.0%	33.1%	36.9%	Not comparable	36.4%	35.0%R	34.4%P
Benefit period exhaustion rate	22.7%	17.8%	18.2%	18.2%	20.4%	26.9%	Not comparable	16.7%	20.8%R	20.4%P

• Note: Includes completed claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• *A temporary measure extended the number of weeks of EI regular benefits for claimants in 15 EI regions that were hit the hardest by the downturn in commodity prices during this period.
• **Includes claims established before March 15, 2020 and completed in 2020-21.
• ***Most claims completed in 2021-22 were entitled 50 weeks of EI regular benefits, therefore their exhaustion rates are not comparable with the other fiscal years.
• ****Includes claims established on or after September 26, 2021 and completed in 2022-23.
• ^P Preliminary data.
• ^R Revised data.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on a 10% sample of data for 2015-16 to 2020-21 and 100% of data for 2022-23 to 2024-25.

All provinces and territories had entitlement exhaustion rates above the national level for claims completed in 2024-25, except for Quebec. As illustrated in Table 26, despite a decrease at the national level, the entitlement exhaustion rate increased for 3 jurisdictions in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24: in Northwest Territories (+16.1 p.p.), Ontario (+1.4 p.p.) and Nunavut (+0.4 p.p.).

• Note: Changes in percentage points are based on unrounded numbers. Includes completed claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• ^P Preliminary data.
• ^R Revised data.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Historically, claims established by women tend to have a higher entitlement exhaustion rate compared to claims established by men. This may be due to the fact that, on average, women qualified for fewer weeks of EI regular benefit entitlement than men (28.4 weeks compared to 30.4 weeks, respectively, consult Table 23 in subsection 2.2.4). A higher proportion of women work in part-time or temporary jobs than men, and thus accumulate fewer hours of insurable employment on average, resulting in lower entitlement. However, this trend was reversed for claims completed in 2023-24, as women had a lower entitlement exhaustion rate than men. This was also the case for claims completed in 2024-25 where the entitlement exhaustion rate of EI regular claims established by women (34.0%) was slightly less than that by men (34.5%).

By age group, claimants aged 55 and over had the highest entitlement exhaustion rate (40.9%), followed by those aged 24 and under (35.3%). These claimants tend to exhaust their entitlement more often, which may reflect their lower entitlement on average, as well as the challenges they face in securing new employment following a job loss.

By EI claimant category, long-tenured workers had a lower entitlement exhaustion rate than occasional claimants and frequent claimants for claims completed in 2024-25. However, the entitlement exhaustion rate of claims established by long-tenured workers increased (+2.6 p.p.) compared to 2023-24, while it decreased for claims established by frequent claimants and occasional claimants (-5.0 p.p. and -0.1 p.p. respectively).

Benefit period exhaustion of Employment Insurance regular benefits

When a claimant's benefit period ends before all weeks of entitlement to EI regular benefits have been paid, unless the claimant has stopped filing EI biweekly reports, the benefit period is considered to have been exhausted. As shown in Chart 16, the benefit period exhaustion rate is generally lower than the entitlement exhaustion rate.

In 2024-25, 20.4% of all completed EI regular claims exhausted their benefit period (consult Table 26). This rate was 0.4 p.p. lower than that observed for claims completed in 2023-24 (20.8%) and the same as the pre-pandemic fiscal year 2019-20.

In general, claims established in the Atlantic provinces, by older claimants and frequent claimants have a higher benefit period exhaustion rate than the national level. This may be explained by the different factors presented below.

Entitlement exhaustion versus benefit period exhaustion

The circumstances that result in benefit period exhaustion are generally different from those associated with entitlement exhaustion. Many variables influence benefit period exhaustion, including regular benefit entitlement, weeks worked while on claim (potentially leading to deferred benefit weeks) and the use of special benefits (adding another type of benefits to the claim).

Table 27 outlines different characteristics of completed EI regular claims by exhaustion type in 2024-25. For instance, EI regular claims in EI regions with lower unemployment rates were generally less likely to exhaust their benefit period in 2024-25 compared to claims established in EI regions with higher unemployment rates.

• Note: Includes completed claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• * Includes only claims with at least one week worked while on claim.
• ** The requalification rate refers to the proportion of claimants who are able to requalify for a new claim within 4 weeks following the termination of their claim.
• ^P Preliminary data.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Furthermore, a much greater proportion of claims that exhausted the benefit period included at least one week worked while on claim (67.1%) compared with claims that exhausted their entitlement (26.6%). This is likely due to the Working While on Claim provision that allows claimants to defer weeks of entitlement to be used later in the benefit period. Claims that had at least one week worked while on claim and exhausted their benefit period had, on average, a greater number of weeks worked while on claim (14.5 weeks) compared with claims that exhausted their entitlement (10.8 weeks).

Because a larger share of claims that exhausted their benefit period also included at least one week worked while on claim, claimants were more likely to accumulate enough hours of insurable employment during their benefit period to meet the eligibility requirements to establish a new claim following the end of their claim. As a result, a much greater proportion of claims that exhausted the benefit period (74.3%) requalified for a new claim within 4 weeks following the termination of the claim compared with completed claims that exhausted their entitlement (7.2%).

In addition, completed claims that exhausted their benefit period received fewer weeks of EI regular benefits on average (16.6 weeks) compared with claims that exhausted their entitlement (25.9 weeks) in 2024-25. Completed EI regular claims that exhausted their benefit period used, on average, just over half (53.2%) of their entitlement. Among completed EI claims combining regular and special benefits, the share that exhausted their benefit period was greater than the share that exhausted their entitled weeks of regular benefits in 2024-25 (18.7% and 9.3%, respectively).

Level of Employment Insurance regular benefits for seasonal claimants

The average weekly benefit rate for seasonal regular claims established in 2024-25 was $601, an increase of 3.7% from 2023-24 (consult Annex 2.9.3). This was higher than the average weekly benefit rate for non-seasonal regular claims ($575) established during the same period.

Duration and exhaustion of Employment Insurance regular benefits among seasonal claimants

The average maximum entitlement of seasonal regular claims completed in 2024-25 was 29.8 weeks, slightly higher than 28.7 weeks from the previous year (+1.1 weeks or +3.8%).^{Footnote 45} In comparison, the average maximum entitlement of non-seasonal regular claims completed in 2024-25 was 29.5 weeks.

The average actual duration of seasonal regular claims completed in 2024-25 was 16.6 weeks, unchanged from the previous fiscal year (consult Annex 2.9.2). It was 18.0 weeks on average for non-seasonal regular claims completed in 2024-25, just above their average duration in 2023-24 (17.1 weeks). In addition, seasonal regular claims completed in 2024-25 used, on average, a lower share of their regular benefit entitlement than non-seasonal regular claims (58.7% versus 63.5%, respectively).

The average maximum entitlement and the average actual duration of regular claims are usually shorter for seasonal claimants than for non-seasonal claimants. This reflects the fact that seasonal claimants typically accumulate fewer hours of insurable employment prior to establishing a claim than non-seasonal claimants. In 2024-25, the average maximum entitlement of seasonal regular claims was similar to that of non-seasonal claims in the same period. This was likely due to the additional weeks of EI regular benefits provided to eligible seasonal claimants in targeted EI regions under a temporary support measure (consult the subsection 'Temporary support measure providing additional weeks of EI regular benefits to seasonal claimants in 13 EI regions' below).

As mentioned in subsection 2.2.5, claims may end when the number of weeks of regular benefits paid equals the regular benefit entitlement over the course of the benefit period (referred to as entitlement exhaustion) or when the benefit period ends before all regular benefit weeks of entitlement have been paid (referred to as benefit period exhaustion). When EI regular claims completed in 2024-25 are categorized by their seasonality status, claims established by seasonal claimants had a lower entitlement exhaustion rate than those established by non-seasonal claimants (23.8% and 38.5%, respectively), but this result was reversed when benefit period exhaustion is considered (34.6% and 14.7%, respectively). This means that seasonal claimants were less likely to collect all their entitled weeks of EI regular benefits than non-seasonal claimants. This is most likely due to the timing of their work seasons.^{Footnote 46} Compared to the previous fiscal year, the entitlement exhaustion rate of seasonal claimants decreased from 27.4% in 2023-24 to 23.8% in 2024-25, while it remained constant for non-seasonal claimants (38.0% in 2023-24 and 38.5% in 2024-25).

Overlapping definitions of seasonal and frequent claimants

Frequent EI claimants are defined as those who, within the past 5 years, have had 3 or more regular or fishing claims and have collected benefits for more than 60 weeks in total. Seasonal claimants are not considered frequent if they collected less than 60 weeks of regular or fishing benefits or both over the previous 5 years. Frequent claimants are not considered seasonal if they do not have at least 2 prior regular or fishing claims established at around the same time of year as their reference claim. However, there is a significant overlap between frequent claimants and seasonal claimants.

In 2024-25, the total number of EI regular claims established by seasonal or frequent or both claimants was 454,000. Among them, 228,800 claims were established by claimants who were both seasonal and frequent, representing 50.4% of the total regular claims established by seasonal or frequent or both claimants in 2024-25 (consult Chart 19). Seasonal claimants who were non-frequent accounted for 38.4% of the total 454,000 regular claims established by seasonal or frequent or both claimants, whereas frequent non-seasonal claimants accounted for 11.2%.

Text description

Category	Frequent, non-seasonal	Frequent and seasonal	Non-frequent, seasonal	Total frequent or seasonal
Number of regular claims	50,900	228,800	174,300	454,000
Share of total frequent or seasonal claims	11.2%	50.4%	38.4%	100.0%

• Note: Includes claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Table 30 compares the average duration, proportion of weeks of EI regular benefits used and entitlement exhaustion rate of EI regular claims established by the 3 groups and completed in 2024-25. In general, frequent claimants use more EI support than non-frequent claimants. Among frequent claimants, non-seasonal claimants typically receive, on average, EI regular benefits for longer duration, use a greater proportion of their regular entitlement weeks and are more likely to exhaust their entitlement than seasonal claimants. This is likely due to seasonal claimants returning to their seasonal employment.

• Note: Includes completed claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• ^P Preliminary data.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Temporary support measure providing additional weeks of Employment Insurance regular benefits to seasonal claimants in 13 EI regions^{Footnote 47}

In August 2018, to better support seasonal workers, the government introduced a pilot project (Pilot Project No. 21) in 13 EI regions^{Footnote 48} of the country. This pilot project provided up to 5 additional weeks of EI regular benefits—to a maximum of 45 weeks—to eligible seasonal claimants who started a benefit period between August 5, 2018 and September 25, 2021. The parameters of the pilot project, including eligible EI regions, were then temporarily replicated through amendments to the Employment Insurance Act. Budget 2024 extended this temporary legislated support for seasonal claimants until October 24, 2026. In addition, in 2022 a legislative fix was introduced to ensure that the timing of the temporary COVID-19 measures would not affect access to this temporary seasonal measure.^{Footnote 49}

Moreover, to further support seasonal claimants in response to the steep declines in unemployment rates, the government introduced Pilot Project No. 22 in the same 13 targeted EI regions. This pilot project provided up to 4 additional weeks, on top of the 5 additional weeks available under the existing temporary seasonal measure, to seasonal claimants who started a benefit period between September 10, 2023, and September 7, 2024, and who met the criteria of the existing seasonal measure. The maximum entitlement to 45 weeks of regular benefits remained in place.

In the 13 targeted EI regions, there were about 141,800 regular claims completed in 2024-25 that were eligible for additional weeks of regular benefits under the temporary seasonal measure. Among them, 126,600 claims were established by seasonal claimants, and 15,200 claims were not eligible according to the original rules of the seasonal measure but became eligible under the legislative fix. For simplicity, for the rest of this subsection, they are referred to as the eligible claims completed in 2024-25. Among the 141,800 eligible claims completed in 2024-25, about 68,400 (48.2%) used at least one additional week of regular benefits. This included 7,200 claims (47.1% out of the 15,200 claims) that became eligible under the legislative fix and used at least one additional week of regular benefits.

Among all eligible claims completed in 2024-25, the proportion that used at least one additional week of benefits under the temporary seasonal measure ranged from 62.6% in the EI region of Newfoundland-Labrador to 30.1% in Chicoutimi-Jonquière (consult Table 31). In addition, more than half of eligible claims established by claimants aged 55 years and over used at least one additional week. A higher proportion of eligible claims established by women used at least one additional week than those established by men (52.9% and 46.1%, respectively). A smaller proportion of eligible claims established by claimants who had worked in the Construction industry used at least one additional week compared to claimants who had worked in the Accommodation and food services industry or the Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry.

• Note: Includes completed claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• * Regular claims in this table include claims that were not eligible for the temporary seasonal measure according to the original rules, but became eligible under the legislative fix introduced in 2022.
• ^P Preliminary data.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

As illustrated in Chart 20, among the 141,800 eligible claims completed in 2024-25, 22,500 were entitled up to 5 additional weeks of EI regular benefits. The remaining 119,300 eligible claims were established when Pilot Project No. 22 was in effect and were entitled to 6 to 9 additional weeks of EI regular benefits (up to 4 additional on top of the 5 additional weeks).

Text description

Category	Number of seasonal regular claimsP
Eligible claims	141,800
Eligible claims entitled up to 5 additional weeks	22,500
Eligible claims entitled up to 5 additional weeks that used at least one additional week	8,200
Eligible claims entitled to 6 to 9 additional weeks	119,300
Eligible claims entitled to 6 to 9 additional weeks that used up to 5 additional weeks	17,100
Eligible claims entitled to 6 to 9 additional weeks that used between 6 to 9 additional weeks	43,200

• Note: Data may not add up to the total due to rounding. Includes completed claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• * Regular claims in this chart include claims that were not eligible for the temporary seasonal measure according to the original rules, but became eligible under the legislative fix introduced in 2022.
• ^P Preliminary data.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Among the 22,500 eligible claims entitled up to 5 additional weeks of regular benefits, 6,200 were established during Pilot Project No. 22.^{Footnote 50} Of the total, 36.2% (8,200 out of 22,500) used at least one additional week of regular benefits. Among these 8,200 claims, almost all were entitled to have the full 5 extra weeks, and 75.5% used the full additional 5 weeks of regular benefits. On average, eligible claims entitled up to 5 additional weeks that used at least one additional week of benefits under the temporary seasonal measure received 4.4 additional weeks of EI regular benefits. The number of additional weeks used was, on average, almost identical for men and women, across different age groups, and for claimants who had worked in services-producing industries compared to those who had worked in goods-producing industries.

Furthermore, among the 141,800 eligible claims completed in 2024-25, the remaining 119,300 were entitled to 6 to 9 additional weeks of EI regular benefits during Pilot Project No. 22 (up to 4 additional on top of the 5 additional weeks). Half of these eligible claims (50.5%) (60,200 out of 119,300) used at least one additional week of regular benefits. Among these 60,200 claims, almost all were entitled to have the full 9 extra weeks, and 52.0% used the full additional 9 weeks of regular benefits.

Among the 60,200 eligible claims entitled to 6 to 9 additional weeks of regular benefits under Pilot Project No. 22 that used at least one additional week of benefits, about 17,100 used up to 5 additional weeks of benefits and received on average 3.1 additional weeks of regular benefits. The remaining 43,200 claims used between 6 and 9 additional weeks of benefits and received on average a total of 8.5 additional weeks of regular benefits, including 3.5 additional weeks under Pilot Project No. 22. Among all these 60,200 claims, the number of additional weeks used was, on average, slightly higher for women than men, and for claimants aged 55 years and over than any other age groups (7.1 weeks and 6.8 weeks, respectively for both comparisons). Claimants who had worked in services-producing industries also used, on average, slightly higher additional weeks of benefits than those who had worked in goods-producing industries (7.1 weeks versus 6.8 weeks).

As of March 31, 2025, 662,100 claims established by seasonal claimants on or after August 5, 2018 were eligible for additional weeks of regular benefits under the temporary seasonal measure (including 58,400 claims that were not eligible according to the original rules of the seasonal measure but became eligible under the legislative fix). Among the total, 294,000 (44.4%) used at least one additional week of regular benefits (including 25,900 under the legislative fix). For claims that used one to 5 additional weeks, they received on average 4.2 additional weeks of regular benefits since the start of the temporary seasonal measure. As of March 31, 2025, $635.6 million in additional benefits had been paid to eligible seasonal claimants who used additional weeks of EI regular benefits under either Pilot Project No. 21, the temporary legislative measure for seasonal workers, or Pilot Project No. 22 (including $59.4 million paid under the legislative fix) since Pilot Project No. 21 was first introduced on August 5, 2018.

Entitlement exhaustion of Employment Insurance regular benefits: seasonal and non-seasonal gappers

Claimants who have exhausted their regular benefit entitlement may go through a period without income from either employment or EI benefits before they find work or return to work at the start of the next employment season. These claimants, known as "gappers", have not accumulated sufficient hours of insurable employment during their qualifying period for their entitlement to cover the entire duration of their unemployment spell.

To be considered a gapper, a claimant must have established a regular claim during the reporting fiscal year, have completed their previous regular claim during the reporting fiscal year or the previous fiscal year and must have experienced a period without employment income or EI income immediately following the exhaustion of the preceding claim. The period with no income must be 15 weeks or less. While this is more common for seasonal claimants due to their work and EI claiming patterns, it can affect non-seasonal claimants as well.

Of the 1.40 million EI regular claims established in 2024-25, approximately 80,900 (5.8%) experienced a gap in income based on the gapper definition (consult Table 32). This is slightly lower than the proportion registered in 2023-24 (6.2%), but equal to that in 2022-23 (5.8%). The average length of the gap was 5.3 weeks in 2024-25, unchanged from 2023-24.

• Note: Includes claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based 100% of data.

The incidence of gappers by region shows that all provinces and territories, except Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, registered a share of gappers above or at the national average in 2024-25 (consult Table 32). This is mostly attributable to the composition of the local labour markets.

In 2024-25, 9.3% of claims established by seasonal claimants experienced an income gap compared to 4.4% for claims established by non-seasonal claimants. Except for the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, these proportions have not changed much in the past decade. In 2025-16, they were 8.2% and 4.0% for claims established by seasonal claimants and non-seasonal claimants, respectively.

Receiving additional weeks of EI regular benefits through the temporary support measure for seasonal claimants (consult the subsection above) helps reduce the length of the period without any income. As a result, among regular claims established in 2024-25, the proportion of seasonal gappers in the 13 EI regions participating in the temporary support measure (7.8%) was lower than the proportion of seasonal gappers in EI regions outside the scope of the temporary support measure (10.0%).

Number of Employment Insurance regular claims and claimants working while on claim

The use of the WWC provision is reported using 2 different but complementary approaches. The first approach is based on EI claimants who had an open regular claim during the reporting fiscal year, regardless of when their claim was established. This focuses on the WWC activities in the fiscal year under review and therefore better reflects the labour market conditions during the reporting period.  The second approach is based on regular claims completed in the reporting fiscal year. This provides a better estimate of the relative incidence of WWC as it takes into consideration the entire duration of the claim and not only a specific period (such as the reporting fiscal year as done under the first approach).

Of all EI regular benefit claimants who had an open claim in 2024-25, around 659,700 or 36.2% of total worked at least one week while on claim during the fiscal year (consult Table 33). This share was lower than the levels recorded in 2023-24 (37.6%), and before the COVID-19 pandemic (43.0% on average in 2018-19 and 2019-20). The decrease in the share of claimants who worked at least one week while on claim was observed in almost all industries in 2024-25. This may be attributed to the decline in job vacancies across all industries in 2024-25 compared to the previous fiscal year, which can indicate a decrease in labour market tightness in Canada.^{Footnote 53} In comparison, based on the second approach, 42.4% of all completed EI regular claims (around 599,000) included at least one week worked while on claim in 2024-25 which is also lower than the previous fiscal year (44.9%) (consult Annex 2.24.4).

• Note: Includes claimants (or completed claims) for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• * Claimants are not categorized according to seasonality given that the seasonal status is determined at the claims level. Therefore, no results for claimants are reported.
• ^P Preliminary data.
• Consult Annex 2.24 for more details.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Based on the first approach examining EI regular benefit claimants with an open claim in 2024-25 who worked at least one week while on claim, more than half (57.8%) had deferred at least one week of EI benefits. Men, claimants who were from the Atlantic provinces and Quebec, and older claimants (aged 55 years and over) were more likely to defer weeks of their EI benefits.

The proportion of regular benefit claimants with an open claim who worked at least one week while on claim varies by, among other things, region and industry which may be partly explained by local labour market conditions in the regions where the claimants resided. Generally, regions that have a higher proportion of seasonal claimants have greater shares of EI regular benefit claimants who worked at least one week while on claim. This may be due in part to seasonal claimants that tend to return to work before their benefit period is exhausted. For example, in 2024-25, the Atlantic provinces (45.1%) and Quebec (43.1%) had relatively higher share of claimants who worked at least one week while on claim compared to the national average (consult Table 33). In terms of industry, the Educational services industry (54.4%), as well as the Construction industry (43.1%) also had a higher share of claimants who worked at least one week while on claim (consult Chart 21). Furthermore, women (39.0%) and claimants aged 45 to 54 years (43.5%) had the highest share of claimants who work at least one week while on claim. Similar outcomes are found for completed claims when the second approach is used.

Text description

Industry	Share of Employment Insurance regular benefit claimants with an open claim working at least one week while on claim
Goods-producing industries	39.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	35.1%
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction	37.3%
Utilities	36.4%
Construction	43.1%
Manufacturing	34.9%
Services-producing industries	34.4%
Wholesale and retail trade	24.8%
Transportation and warehousing	35.7%
Finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing	22.8%
Professional, scientific and technical services	28.6%
Business, building and other support services*	28.5%
Educational services	54.4%
Health care and social assistance	36.3%
Information, culture and recreation**	28.6%
Accommodation and food services	34.2%
Other services (excluding public administration)	29.7%
Public administration	32.8%
All industries	36.2%

• Note: Includes claimants for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• * This industry sector comprises the industries with codes 55 (Management of companies and enterprises) and 56 (Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services) from the North American Industry Classification System.
• ** This industry sector comprises the industries with codes 51 (Information and cultural industries) and 71 (Arts, entertainment and recreation) from the North American Industry Classification System.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Weeks worked while on claim

This subsection analyzes the proportion and the average number of weeks worked while on claim. It examines whether employment income was reported during a week in which a claimant was entitled to receive EI regular benefits.

The first reported measure is the proportion of weeks worked while on claim among weeks for which claimants were entitled to receive EI regular benefits in the reporting fiscal year (regardless of the establishment date of the claim). It reflects the relative frequency of WWC usage among regular benefit claimants and can be indicative of local labour market conditions during the reporting period. The proportion of weeks worked while on claim was 19.9% nationally in 2024-25, lower than the levels observed in the previous fiscal year (21.3%) and in fiscal years before the pandemic (23.8% on average in 2018-19 and 2019-20) (consult Table 34).

• Note: Changes in percentage points are based on unrounded numbers. Includes all claims for which at least $1 in EI regular benefit was paid.
• * Data are based on weeks worked while on claim during the reporting fiscal year, regardless of the year in which their claim was established.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

An analysis by demographic characteristics shows that the proportion of weeks worked while on claim generally varied in similar ways as the proportion of claimants who worked at least one week while on claim. Seasonal claimants, claimants aged 45 to 54 years, and those in the Atlantic provinces and Quebec had higher proportions of weeks worked while on claim as well as proportions of claimants who worked at least one week while on claim than the national average in 2024-25 (consult Table 33 and Table 34). This trend has been generally consistent with previous years.

The second measure is the average number of weeks worked while on claim for EI regular claims completed during the fiscal year with at least one week of work during the entire claim period. This measure of WWC frequency is based on the entire duration of the claim, rather than a specific reference period. In 2024-25, the average number of weeks worked while on claim was 10.0 weeks, down from 10.4 weeks recorded in the previous fiscal year (consult Table 35). This average has shown a downward trend over the past 3 years (consult Annex 2.24.2). The average number of weeks worked while on claim generally varied the same way across demographic characteristics than the proportion of weeks worked while on claim.

• Note: Changes are based on unrounded numbers. Includes completed claims for which at least $1 in EI regular benefit was paid.
• ^p Preliminary data.
• ^R Revised data.
• Consult Annex 2.24.2 for more details.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Weekly income associated with working while on claim

As outlined in Table 36, there is a difference between the average weekly income of claimants who worked while on claim and those who did not. For EI regular claims completed in 2024-25, claimants who worked while on claim had lower average weekly EI regular benefit amount ($406) for the entire claim period compared to the average weekly EI regular benefit amount of those who did not work while on claim ($547). However, claimants who worked while on claim had significantly higher average weekly total income ($792) compared to that of those who did not work while on claim ($547). When only the weeks worked were considered, claimants who worked while on claim received an average of $957 per week in 2024-25.

• Note: Includes completed claims for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid.
• * Includes deferred weeks of EI benefits (that have $0 of EI benefits paid due to high employment earnings). Average incomes for this category are the sum of all regular benefits paid and/or employment earnings divided by the number of weeks the claim was active.
• ** The average weekly employment earnings for this category are total employment earnings divided by the number of weeks worked while on claim.
• Consult Annex 2.24.3 for more details.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Employment Insurance claims from apprentices and amount paid

In 2024-25, approximately 56,300 new EI claims were established by apprentices, representing an increase of 7.5% (+3,900 claims) compared to the previous fiscal year (consult Table 37).

This aligns with new registrations in apprenticeship programs in 2024, which increased by 5.9% compared to 2023 to reach 101,500, marking a historical high.^{Footnote 60} In terms of certifications, just under 47,000 apprentices were certified in 2024, representing a minor increase of 1.0% from 2023. However, this remains 9.6% below the 2019 level, indicating that certification numbers have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.

• Note: Data may not add up to the total due to rounding. Percentage change is based on unrounded numbers. Includes claims established by apprentices referred under Section 25 of the Employment Insurance Act for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid while the claimant was on training.
• * Due to methodological changes, the number of claims established and the amount paid by region have been revised for 2023-24.
• ** The small number of claims established by apprentices in Quebec is due to the province's unique program design, where apprentices complete all their technical training before starting on-the-job training.
• ^R Revised data.
• Consult Annex 2.25 for more details.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Consistent with historical trends, the majority of EI claims from apprentices were established by claimants from Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, with these 3 provinces accounting for 80.5% of the total number of claims in 2024-25. Men also continued to represent the vast majority of claims established by apprentices (93.7%) during this fiscal year. This is reflected in the annual number of apprenticeship registrations, where women typically account for a low share of total registrations (12.5% in 2024, and an average share of 12.1% over the last 10 years).^{Footnote 61} However, the number of women establishing claims by apprentices increased by 16.6% in 2024-25, rising from 3,100 to 3,600.

Among age groups, claimants aged between 25 and 44 years accounted for the largest share of EI claims established by apprentices (51.6%), followed by those aged between 15 and 24 years (45.2%). Claimants aged 45 years and over only accounted for 3.2% of EI claims established by apprentices in 2024-25, while they accounted for 44.1% of all EI regular claims established.

The total amount of EI benefits paid to apprentices was $390.5 million in 2024-25, representing an increase of 13.8% from the $343.2 million paid in 2023-24. Almost all regions had an increase in the amount paid in benefits to apprentices compared to 2023-24 with the exception of Prince Edward Island (-8.2%), despite an increase of 2.5% in the number of claims established by apprentices from this province, and the territories, where the amount paid to claimants was almost unchanged from the previous fiscal year.

From an industry perspective, claimants from the Construction sector established the majority of new apprentice claims (62.8%) in 2024-25, similar to previous years (consult Table 38). Among occupational groupings, the majority of EI claims established by apprentices were associated with the Technical trades and transportation officers and controllers grouping^{Footnote 62} (91.2%).

• Note: Data may not add up to the total due to rounding. Percentage change is based on unrounded numbers. Includes claims established by apprentices referred under Section 25 of the Employment Insurance Act for which at least $1 of EI regular benefits was paid while the claimant was on training.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Outside of periods of full-time training, while still within the benefit period of a claim, an apprentice may lose employment income due to circumstances requiring access to other types of EI benefits, such as regular benefits for lack of available work, or special benefits for the care of a newborn child or other life events. Apprentices may access these benefits if they meet the eligibility requirements for the relevant EI benefits. In 2024-25, 31.4% of all claims established by apprentices (approximately 17,700 claims) included at least one week of regular benefits paid outside of periods of full-time training, an increase of 2.7 percentage points (p.p.) from the previous fiscal year. Additionally, 1.7% of claims (approximately 940 claims) included at least one week of special benefits paid outside of periods of full-time training, including about 530 claims for sickness benefits.

Of the total $390.5 million paid in benefits to apprentices in 2024-25, $298.0 million (76.3%) were paid while apprentices were attending full-time technical training. EI regular benefits paid outside training periods accounted for most of the remaining benefits ($81.1 million, or 20.8%), while a small portion was paid as special benefits ($11.4 million, or 2.9%).

Level and duration of Employment Insurance benefits for apprentices

The average weekly benefit rate for claims established by apprentices was $617 in 2024-25, an increase of 3.2% from $598 in 2023-24. This was also higher than the average weekly benefit rate for EI regular claims established during the same period ($583). By province and territory, the highest average weekly benefit rate was among apprentice claimants from the Territories ($646), followed by those from Newfoundland and Labrador ($625), Alberta ($624) and Ontario ($622).

By gender, men received a higher average weekly benefit rate ($619) than women ($591). Among age groups, claimants aged 25 to 44 years and those 45 years and over received the same average weekly benefit rate ($631), which was higher than average weekly benefit rate of $598 received by claimants aged 15 to 24 years (consult Annex 2.25.3).

The average duration of EI regular claims completed in 2024-25 by claimants while on full-time technical training was 8.9 weeks, similar to the previous fiscal year. Claims established in Manitoba and the territories had the highest average duration (9.4 weeks), while those in New Brunswick had the lowest (8.3 weeks). There were no significant differences in the average duration across genders and age groups in 2024-25 (consult Annex 2.25.2).

Employment Insurance claims under Skills Boost and amount paid

In 2024-25, Service Canada referred approximately 690 claimants to continue receiving EI benefits while training under Skills Boost (consult Table 39). This represents a decrease of 11.4% from 780 referrals in 2023-24 but remains higher than in the previous fiscal years (consult Annex 2.26.1).

• Note: Data may not add up to the total due to rounding. Percentage change is based on unrounded numbers. Includes claims for which claimants received permission from Service Canada to train.
• ¹ Due to methodological changes, the number of claims established and the amount paid by region have been revised for 2023-24.
• ² For confidentiality reasons, data for the territories have been combined with those for British Columbia.
• ³ For confidentiality reasons, data for the Utilities industry have combined with those for the Manufacturing industry.
• ⁴ This industry sector comprises the industries with codes 55 (Management of companies and enterprises) and 56 (Administration and support, waste management and remediation services).
• ⁵ This industry sector comprises the industries with codes 51 (Information and cultural industries) and 71 (Arts, entertainment and recreation).
• ⁶ For some claims, this information was not available in the data.
• Consult Annex 2.26 for more details.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Results are based on 100% of data.

Similar to previous years, Quebec had the highest share of referrals under Skills Boost (29.9%), followed by Ontario (25.6%) and Alberta (15.0%). Men accounted for slightly more than half of referrals (53.9%), compared to 60.5% of all EI regular claims established in 2024-25. By age, claimants aged 44 years and under accounted for 70.1% of all referrals in 2024-25, compared to 55.9% of EI regular claims established during the same period.

By industry, claimants from the Construction sector and the Wholesale and retail trade sector both accounted for the largest share of referrals in 2024-25, with 12.9% each, followed by those from the Manufacturing (11.5%) sector.

Of all claims established under Skills Boost in 2024-25, 640 claims (92.5% of the total) included at least one week of EI regular benefits paid during training, and approximately 510 claims (73.0% of the total) included at least one week of EI regular benefits paid outside of training periods.

A total of $10.2 million in EI regular benefits was paid to claimants referred under Skills Boost in 2024-25, a decrease of 2.6% compared to 2023-24. Of this amount, $6.4 million (62.2% of the total amount paid) were paid while claimants were on training, and $3.5 million (34.5% of the total amount) were paid outside of training periods. Compared to the previous fiscal year, this represents a higher amount paid outside training and a lower amount paid during training.

Level and duration of Employment Insurance benefits for Skills Boost claims

Claimants who requested and received a referral to training from Service Canada had an average weekly benefit rate of $587 in 2024-25, an increase of 4.2% from 2023-24. This is nearly identical to the average weekly benefit rate for EI regular benefits ($583), but lower than the one entitled to long-tenured workers ($624) during the same period.

Claimants from British Columbia and the territories received the highest average weekly benefit rate in 2024-25 ($602), while those from the Atlantic provinces received the lowest ($540). By gender, men had a higher average weekly benefit rate than women ($605 and $567, respectively). Differences across age groups were minimal, with claimants aged 34 years and under at the lowest level ($580), and claimants aged between 45 and 54 years at the highest ($594) (consult Annex 2.26.3).

Skills Boost claims that were completed in 2024-25 received an average of 17.6 weeks of EI benefits during training and 13.0 weeks of EI regular benefits outside of training periods (consult Annex 2.26.2). Claimants from the Atlantic provinces averaged the most weeks during training (20.7 weeks), while those from Saskatchewan received on average the most weeks outside of training periods (16.2 weeks). Women averaged more weeks than men during training (18.9 and 16.6 weeks, respectively), while men averaged slightly more weeks than women outside of training periods (13.2 and 12.8 weeks, respectively). By age, claimants aged between 45 and 54 years averaged the highest number of weeks during training periods (18.7 weeks), while those aged 55 years and over had the most weeks outside of training periods (16.6 weeks).