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Employment Insurance (EI) program statistics

  • First-time recipients
    6,880
  • Active recipients
    931,740
  • Gross benefit paid to recipients since April 1, 2026
    15.06 billion

All data is updated weekly and is current as of November 1, 2026

Notes
  • First-time recipients are individuals receiving an EI payment for the first time since April 1, 2026.
  • Active recipients are individuals currently receiving EI payments
  • Total gross benefit dollars are cumulative since April 1, 2026

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List of tables

Application processing statistics

Table 1: EI application processing statistics
Employment Insurance (EI) program Week starting on October 26, 2026 Cumulative from April 1, 2026
Registered applications 63,530 1,755,020
Processed applications 62,470 1,725,430
Claims established (approved applications) 46,630 1,244,070
Recipients Not applicable 2,093,580
Notes for table 1
  • A registered application removes unnecessary duplicate requests for EI benefits that some individuals submit. It represents actual requests for EI benefits and initiates the process of determining EI eligibility and entitlement
  • A processed application represents the adjudication of a registered application that results in an initial decision. Every registered application will be adjudicated; however, high volumes can cause a processing backlog where an application registered in one week may not be processed until a subsequent week
  • A claim established is a processed application with a decision to pay the claim as it met the criteria of the EI program. As not all processed applications meet the EI program criteria, the number of claims established will be less than the number of processed applications
  • A recipient is someone who receives at least one payment. To receive EI payments, a recipient must file their bi-weekly report. Each bi-weekly filing enables up to two weeks of EI payments in arrears depending on the content of the filing. An individual who never files their bi-weekly report will not receive a payment and therefore will not become a recipient. As payments are two weeks in arrears, the last completed EI week will never show any recipients
  • This data is operational in nature and will fluctuate over time. For any given week, the number of registered applications and processed applications will not be equal due to timing and volume
  • Cumulative totals are as of April 1, 2026
  • All numbers are rounded to the nearest 10

EI benefits statistics by type

Table 2: EI benefits – Number of recipients by benefit type
EI benefits Active recipients Cumulative recipients since April 1, 2026
Regular 555,220 1,378,670
Sickness 142,480 313,990
Fishing 15,470 20,870
Maternity and parental 209,570 361,440
Caregiving 8,540 22,570
Self employed 1,190 2,050
Total 931,740 2,093,580
Notes for table 2
  • A recipient is someone who receives at least one payment
  • Recipients can receive more than one type of benefit. For example, a recipient who is receiving EI maternity benefits can change to receive EI caregiving benefits. Regardless of which benefit type a recipient receives, they are only eligible to receive one benefit type per week
  • Active recipients represent individuals currently receiving EI payments
  • Cumulative recipients from April 1 represent individuals who started receiving EI payments since the beginning of the fiscal year
  • All values are rounded to the nearest 10 and are recalculated every week. Rounding may cause a small difference between the total and the sum of individual values
Table 3: EI benefits – Gross benefit paid to recipients by benefit type (millions)
EI benefits Gross benefit paid to active recipients Cumulative benefit paid to recipients since April 1, 2026
Regular 5,795.67 9,167.43
Sickness 1,122.06 1,906.21
Fishing 142.45 212.91
Maternity and parental 3,259.89 3,624.06
Caregiving 62.86 130.10
Self employed 13.34 15.58
Total 10,396.26 15,056.12
Notes for table 3
  • Gross benefit paid (millions) represents the amount paid, before tax. EI deducts tax at source for all EI benefits. Rounding may cause a small difference between the total and the sum of individual values
  • Active recipients represent individuals currently receiving EI payments and gross benefit paid to active recipients represent the total amount paid to them
  • Cumulative benefit paid to recipients since April 1 represent the amount of EI paid to recipients this fiscal year
  • A recipient is someone who receives at least one payment

EI recipients statistics

Active recipients by province or territory and age group

Table 4: EI active recipients by province or territory and age group – Number of active recipients
Provinces and territories Under 25 25 - 34 Years 35 - 44 Years 45 - 54 Years 55 - 64 Years 65 and Older Total
Newfoundland and Labrador 3,130 7,090 7,270 8,680 12,720 5,990 44,890
Prince Edward Island 1,870 2,520 1,920 1,750 2,260 1,430 11,750
Nova Scotia 2,790 10,470 8,280 6,480 7,810 3,530 39,350
New Brunswick 3,180 9,670 8,360 7,700 9,980 4,230 43,110
Quebec 9,900 35,490 41,220 37,660 41,380 15,890 181,530
Ontario 19,040 122,860 85,140 44,880 45,260 14,360 331,540
Manitoba 2,770 10,970 7,550 4,340 3,890 1,250 30,770
Saskatchewan 2,190 8,540 5,780 3,120 2,750 1,060 23,440
Alberta 8,140 37,250 27,180 14,210 12,040 3,960 102,770
British Columbia 7,190 41,110 32,170 16,450 16,270 5,750 118,940
Yukon 70 410 330 120 110 50 1,090
Northwest Territories 90 380 320 170 160 30 1,140
Nunavut 100 240 210 120 70 20 750
Not Applicable 50 320 230 60 20 0 680
Total 60,500 287,300 225,930 145,720 154,720 57,560 931,740

Notes for tables 4 to 11

Table 5: EI active recipients by province or territory and age group – Percentage of active recipients
Provinces and territories Under 25 25 - 34 Years 35 - 44 Years 45 - 54 Years 55 - 64 Years 65 and Older Total
Newfoundland and Labrador 7.0% 15.8% 16.2% 19.3% 28.3% 13.3% 4.8%
Prince Edward Island 15.9% 21.4% 16.3% 14.9% 19.3% 12.2% 1.3%
Nova Scotia 7.1% 26.6% 21.0% 16.5% 19.8% 9.0% 4.2%
New Brunswick 7.4% 22.4% 19.4% 17.9% 23.1% 9.8% 4.6%
Quebec 5.5% 19.5% 22.7% 20.7% 22.8% 8.8% 19.5%
Ontario 5.7% 37.1% 25.7% 13.5% 13.7% 4.3% 35.6%
Manitoba 9.0% 35.7% 24.5% 14.1% 12.6% 4.1% 3.3%
Saskatchewan 9.4% 36.4% 24.6% 13.3% 11.7% 4.5% 2.5%
Alberta 7.9% 36.2% 26.4% 13.8% 11.7% 3.8% 11.0%
British Columbia 6.0% 34.6% 27.0% 13.8% 13.7% 4.8% 12.8%
Yukon 6.4% 37.5% 30.3% 10.8% 10.3% 4.7% 0.1%
Northwest Territories 8.1% 33.4% 27.7% 14.6% 13.7% 2.5% 0.1%
Nunavut 13.0% 31.4% 27.8% 15.8% 9.3% 2.8% 0.1%
Not Applicable 7.8% 46.8% 33.7% 8.7% 3.1% 0.0% 0.1%
Total 6.5% 30.8% 24.2% 15.6% 16.6% 6.2% 100.0%

Notes for tables 4 to 11

Table 6: EI gross benefit paid to active recipients by province or territory and age group – Gross benefit paid (millions)
Provinces and territories Under 25 25 - 34 Years 35 - 44 Years 45 - 54 Years 55 - 64 Years 65 and Older Total
Newfoundland and Labrador 23.94 82.02 76.61 88.39 128.50 54.79 454.25
Prince Edward Island 9.40 27.78 19.65 16.44 20.96 12.29 106.52
Nova Scotia 22.94 122.84 89.16 63.51 76.77 32.65 407.87
New Brunswick 24.19 107.24 84.43 72.65 97.84 42.19 428.54
Quebec 58.23 290.02 367.39 347.34 401.49 147.88 1,612.34
Ontario 155.96 1,611.53 1,097.95 502.88 531.97 164.89 4,065.18
Manitoba 20.64 131.90 84.51 40.69 39.88 12.31 329.93
Saskatchewan 18.16 111.16 69.84 33.37 30.35 10.93 273.80
Alberta 64.72 482.89 345.72 167.78 151.22 49.02 1,261.34
British Columbia 57.15 532.49 401.61 178.94 184.19 60.68 1,415.05
Yukon 0.49 5.26 4.11 1.15 1.07 0.53 12.62
Northwest Territories 0.89 5.16 4.19 1.94 1.73 0.31 14.20
Nunavut 1.03 3.31 2.67 1.60 1.00 0.29 9.89
Not Applicable 0.24 2.30 1.76 0.29 0.13 0 4.72
Total 457.97 3,515.90 2,649.59 1,516.98 1,667.09 588.74 10,396.26

Notes for tables 4 to 11

Table 7: EI gross benefit paid to active recipients by province or territory and age group – Percentage of gross benefit
Provinces and territories Under 25 25 - 34 Years 35 - 44 Years 45 - 54 Years 55 - 64 Years 65 and Older Total
Newfoundland and Labrador 5.3% 18.1% 16.9% 19.5% 28.3% 12.1% 4.4%
Prince Edward Island 8.8% 26.1% 18.4% 15.4% 19.7% 11.5% 1.0%
Nova Scotia 5.6% 30.1% 21.9% 15.6% 18.8% 8.0% 3.9%
New Brunswick 5.6% 25.0% 19.7% 17.0% 22.8% 9.8% 4.1%
Quebec 3.6% 18.0% 22.8% 21.5% 24.9% 9.2% 15.5%
Ontario 3.8% 39.6% 27.0% 12.4% 13.1% 4.1% 39.1%
Manitoba 6.3% 40.0% 25.6% 12.3% 12.1% 3.7% 3.2%
Saskatchewan 6.6% 40.6% 25.5% 12.2% 11.1% 4.0% 2.6%
Alberta 5.1% 38.3% 27.4% 13.3% 12.0% 3.9% 12.1%
British Columbia 4.0% 37.6% 28.4% 12.6% 13.0% 4.3% 13.6%
Yukon 3.9% 41.7% 32.6% 9.2% 8.5% 4.2% 0.1%
Northwest Territories 6.2% 36.3% 29.5% 13.6% 12.2% 2.2% 0.1%
Nunavut 10.4% 33.4% 26.9% 16.1% 10.2% 2.9% 0.1%
Not Applicable 5.1% 48.8% 37.3% 6.1% 2.7% 0.0% 0.0%
Total 4.4% 33.8% 25.5% 14.6% 16.0% 5.7% 100.0%

Notes for tables 4 to 11

Active recipients by province or territory and gender

Table 8: EI active recipients by province or territory and gender – Number of active recipients
Provinces and territories Female gender Male gender Total
Newfoundland and Labrador 19,660 25,230 44,890
Prince Edward Island 5,400 6,350 11,750
Nova Scotia 17,870 21,480 39,350
New Brunswick 19,830 23,280 43,110
Quebec 73,720 107,810 181,530
Ontario 197,200 134,340 331,540
Manitoba 17,780 12,990 30,770
Saskatchewan 13,660 9,780 23,440
Alberta 59,330 43,440 102,770
British Columbia 68,560 50,380 118,940
Yukon 650 440 1,090
Northwest Territories 570 570 1,140
Nunavut 380 370 750
Not Applicable 160 520 680
Total 494,760 436,980 931,740

Notes for tables 4 to 11

Table 9: EI active recipients by province or territory and gender – Percentage of active recipients
Provinces and territories Female gender Male gender Total
Newfoundland and Labrador 43.8% 56.2% 4.8%
Prince Edward Island 45.9% 54.1% 1.3%
Nova Scotia 45.4% 54.6% 4.2%
New Brunswick 46.0% 54.0% 4.6%
Quebec 40.6% 59.4% 19.5%
Ontario 59.5% 40.5% 35.6%
Manitoba 57.8% 42.2% 3.3%
Saskatchewan 58.3% 41.7% 2.5%
Alberta 57.7% 42.3% 11.0%
British Columbia 57.6% 42.4% 12.8%
Yukon 59.5% 40.5% 0.1%
Northwest Territories 49.9% 50.1% 0.1%
Nunavut 51.1% 48.9% 0.1%
Not Applicable 23.2% 76.8% 0.1%
Total 53.1% 46.9% 100.0%

Notes for tables 4 to 11

Table 10: EI gross benefit paid to active recipients by province or territory and gender – Gross benefit paid (millions)
Provinces and territories Female gender Male gender Total
Newfoundland and Labrador 190.62 263.64 454.25
Prince Edward Island 49.76 56.76 106.52
Nova Scotia 194.58 213.28 407.87
New Brunswick 201.05 227.49 428.54
Quebec 619.98 992.36 1,612.34
Ontario 2,625.97 1,439.22 4,065.18
Manitoba 213.32 116.61 329.93
Saskatchewan 176.35 97.45 273.80
Alberta 785.83 475.51 1,261.34
British Columbia 894.88 520.18 1,415.05
Yukon 8.82 3.80 12.62
Northwest Territories 7.99 6.21 14.20
Nunavut 5.08 4.81 9.89
Not Applicable 1.98 2.74 4.72
Total 5,976.20 4,420.05 10,396.26

Notes for tables 4 to 11

Table 11: EI gross benefit paid to active recipients by province or territory and gender – Percentage of gross benefit
Provinces and territories Female gender Male gender Total
Newfoundland and Labrador 42.0% 58.0% 4.4%
Prince Edward Island 46.7% 53.3% 1.0%
Nova Scotia 47.7% 52.3% 3.9%
New Brunswick 46.9% 53.1% 4.1%
Quebec 38.5% 61.5% 15.5%
Ontario 64.6% 35.4% 39.1%
Manitoba 64.7% 35.3% 3.2%
Saskatchewan 64.4% 35.6% 2.6%
Alberta 62.3% 37.7% 12.1%
British Columbia 63.2% 36.8% 13.6%
Yukon 69.9% 30.1% 0.1%
Northwest Territories 56.3% 43.7% 0.1%
Nunavut 51.4% 48.6% 0.1%
Not Applicable 42.0% 58.0% 0.0%
Total 57.5% 42.5% 100.0%
Notes for tables 4 to 11
  • A recipient is someone who receives at least one payment
  • All values for number of recipients are rounded to the nearest 10. Rounding may cause a small difference between the total and the sum of the active recipient values
  • Gross benefit paid (millions) represents the gross amount of benefits paid, before tax. EI deducts tax at source for all EI benefits. Rounding may cause a small difference between the total and the sum of individual values
  • Not applicable is used when a recipient provides an address outside of Canada. While the EI program requires individuals to reside inside Canada to qualify, some individuals may be currently out of the country on a temporary basis, or working in Canada on a temporary basis. For example:
    • a student who is temporarily abroad
    • someone temporarily working abroad, or
    • temporary worker who has fallen ill but their home address is in another country

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2026-05-22