Language selection

Government of Canada / Gouvernement du Canada

Search

Employment Insurance (EI) program statistics

  • First-time recipients
    6,410
  • Active recipients
    1,005,720
  • Gross benefit paid to recipients since April 1, 2026
    3.53 billion

All data is updated weekly and is current as of May 24, 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

On this page

List of tables

Application processing statistics

Table 1: EI application processing statistics
Employment Insurance (EI) program Week starting on May 18, 2026 Cumulative from April 1, 2026
Registered applications 37,550 378,820
Processed applications 39,190 383,840
Claims established (approved applications) 38,290 292,860
Recipients Not applicable 1,158,290
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 646,100 760,950
Sickness 133,310 140,970
Fishing 10,740 16,600
Maternity and parental 206,880 229,980
Caregiving 8,200 8,720
Self employed 1,190 1,270
Total 1,005,720 1,158,290
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 6,360.74 2,200.04
Sickness 1,003.46 404.97
Fishing 130.61 49.85
Maternity and parental 3,211.54 846.08
Caregiving 59.22 26.54
Self employed 12.60 3.36
Total 10,778.18 3,530.80
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 3,340 7,580 7,950 9,410 13,650 5,940 47,870
Prince Edward Island 1,190 2,800 2,180 2,060 2,580 1,560 12,370
Nova Scotia 2,960 10,580 8,070 6,410 7,740 3,250 39,010
New Brunswick 3,620 10,480 8,910 8,660 11,180 4,570 47,430
Quebec 13,460 44,280 48,350 43,020 46,810 17,030 212,960
Ontario 23,030 128,890 87,570 46,410 47,280 14,470 347,650
Manitoba 3,410 12,040 8,240 5,010 4,490 1,450 34,650
Saskatchewan 2,820 9,410 6,400 3,550 3,130 1,360 26,670
Alberta 10,850 42,010 30,340 16,020 13,470 4,300 116,990
British Columbia 7,810 40,930 31,110 15,540 15,720 5,370 116,470
Yukon 80 420 330 120 130 50 1,130
Northwest Territories 100 390 320 140 140 50 1,140
Nunavut 70 180 150 90 60 20 570
Not Applicable 70 450 250 40 20 20 850
Total 72,820 310,430 240,170 156,500 166,390 59,450 1,005,720

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% 16.6% 19.7% 28.5% 12.4% 4.8%
Prince Edward Island 9.6% 22.6% 17.6% 16.7% 20.8% 12.6% 1.2%
Nova Scotia 7.6% 27.1% 20.7% 16.4% 19.8% 8.3% 3.9%
New Brunswick 7.6% 22.1% 18.8% 18.3% 23.6% 9.6% 4.7%
Quebec 6.3% 20.8% 22.7% 20.2% 22.0% 8.0% 21.2%
Ontario 6.6% 37.1% 25.2% 13.3% 13.6% 4.2% 34.6%
Manitoba 9.8% 34.8% 23.8% 14.5% 13.0% 4.2% 3.4%
Saskatchewan 10.6% 35.3% 24.0% 13.3% 11.7% 5.1% 2.7%
Alberta 9.3% 35.9% 25.9% 13.7% 11.5% 3.7% 11.6%
British Columbia 6.7% 35.1% 26.7% 13.3% 13.5% 4.6% 11.6%
Yukon 7.3% 37.2% 29.3% 10.6% 11.2% 4.3% 0.1%
Northwest Territories 8.9% 34.2% 28.0% 11.8% 12.3% 4.7% 0.1%
Nunavut 11.4% 31.7% 26.8% 16.5% 10.2% 3.5% 0.1%
Not Applicable 7.7% 53.7% 29.0% 5.0% 2.4% 2.4% 0.1%
Total 7.2% 30.9% 23.9% 15.6% 16.5% 5.9% 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 34.30 92.62 89.00 102.52 152.38 68.65 539.46
Prince Edward Island 12.96 35.59 26.34 23.98 29.75 18.51 147.13
Nova Scotia 25.00 123.43 86.83 61.43 74.23 32.09 403.01
New Brunswick 34.26 120.73 94.82 87.70 117.74 51.25 506.50
Quebec 94.43 358.21 404.14 364.85 413.27 155.26 1,790.16
Ontario 201.64 1,652.74 1,066.92 471.34 476.84 141.01 4,010.48
Manitoba 29.11 142.12 89.02 43.99 40.63 14.21 359.08
Saskatchewan 25.35 120.19 73.35 35.99 32.40 14.65 301.93
Alberta 92.29 529.78 364.64 173.91 150.69 48.27 1,359.59
British Columbia 64.76 515.25 370.86 155.59 157.76 54.09 1,318.30
Yukon 0.78 5.54 4.37 1.34 1.48 0.63 14.15
Northwest Territories 1.11 5.43 4.21 1.68 1.52 0.65 14.60
Nunavut 0.86 2.45 1.93 1.02 0.81 0.13 7.20
Not Applicable 0.41 3.53 2.16 0.33 0.10 0.04 6.58
Total 617.26 3,707.62 2,678.58 1,525.68 1,649.59 599.45 10,778.18

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 6.4% 17.2% 16.5% 19.0% 28.2% 12.7% 5.0%
Prince Edward Island 8.8% 24.2% 17.9% 16.3% 20.2% 12.6% 1.4%
Nova Scotia 6.2% 30.6% 21.5% 15.2% 18.4% 8.0% 3.7%
New Brunswick 6.8% 23.8% 18.7% 17.3% 23.2% 10.1% 4.7%
Quebec 5.3% 20.0% 22.6% 20.4% 23.1% 8.7% 16.6%
Ontario 5.0% 41.2% 26.6% 11.8% 11.9% 3.5% 37.2%
Manitoba 8.1% 39.6% 24.8% 12.3% 11.3% 4.0% 3.3%
Saskatchewan 8.4% 39.8% 24.3% 11.9% 10.7% 4.9% 2.8%
Alberta 6.8% 39.0% 26.8% 12.8% 11.1% 3.6% 12.6%
British Columbia 4.9% 39.1% 28.1% 11.8% 12.0% 4.1% 12.2%
Yukon 5.5% 39.2% 30.9% 9.5% 10.5% 4.5% 0.1%
Northwest Territories 7.6% 37.2% 28.8% 11.5% 10.4% 4.4% 0.1%
Nunavut 12.0% 34.0% 26.8% 14.2% 11.2% 1.8% 0.1%
Not Applicable 6.3% 53.7% 32.9% 5.0% 1.5% 0.6% 0.1%
Total 5.7% 34.4% 24.9% 14.2% 15.3% 5.6% 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 19,310 28,560 47,870
Prince Edward Island 5,090 7,290 12,370
Nova Scotia 17,000 22,010 39,010
New Brunswick 18,740 28,690 47,430
Quebec 72,020 140,940 212,960
Ontario 187,270 160,380 347,650
Manitoba 17,390 17,250 34,650
Saskatchewan 13,620 13,050 26,670
Alberta 59,030 57,970 116,990
British Columbia 64,180 52,290 116,470
Yukon 600 530 1,130
Northwest Territories 550 590 1,140
Nunavut 270 290 570
Not Applicable 130 690 820
Total 475,200 530,520 1,005,720

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 40.3% 59.7% 4.8%
Prince Edward Island 41.1% 58.9% 1.2%
Nova Scotia 43.6% 56.4% 3.9%
New Brunswick 39.5% 60.5% 4.7%
Quebec 33.8% 66.2% 21.2%
Ontario 53.9% 46.1% 34.6%
Manitoba 50.2% 49.8% 3.4%
Saskatchewan 51.1% 48.9% 2.7%
Alberta 50.5% 49.5% 11.6%
British Columbia 55.1% 44.9% 11.6%
Yukon 53.5% 46.5% 0.1%
Northwest Territories 48.4% 51.6% 0.1%
Nunavut 48.1% 51.9% 0.1%
Not Applicable 15.3% 84.7% 0.1%
Total 47.2% 52.8% 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 213.16 326.30 539.46
Prince Edward Island 60.96 86.17 147.13
Nova Scotia 190.13 212.88 403.01
New Brunswick 201.90 304.60 506.50
Quebec 590.03 1,200.13 1,790.16
Ontario 2,430.08 1,580.40 4,010.48
Manitoba 205.56 153.52 359.08
Saskatchewan 171.23 130.70 301.93
Alberta 767.30 592.29 1,359.59
British Columbia 819.99 498.32 1,318.30
Yukon 8.55 5.60 14.15
Northwest Territories 8.19 6.41 14.60
Nunavut 3.94 3.26 7.20
Not Applicable 2.08 4.49 6.58
Total 5,673.11 5,105.07 10,778.18

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 39.5% 60.5% 5.0%
Prince Edward Island 41.4% 58.6% 1.4%
Nova Scotia 47.2% 52.8% 3.7%
New Brunswick 39.9% 60.1% 4.7%
Quebec 33.0% 67.0% 16.6%
Ontario 60.6% 39.4% 37.2%
Manitoba 57.2% 42.8% 3.3%
Saskatchewan 56.7% 43.3% 2.8%
Alberta 56.4% 43.6% 12.6%
British Columbia 62.2% 37.8% 12.2%
Yukon 60.4% 39.6% 0.1%
Northwest Territories 56.1% 43.9% 0.1%
Nunavut 54.7% 45.3% 0.1%
Not Applicable 31.7% 68.3% 0.1%
Total 52.6% 47.4% 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

Page details

2026-05-22