Employment Insurance (EI) program statistics

All data is updated weekly and is current as of October 24, 2021.

Notes

• A first time beneficiary is an individual receiving an EI payment for the first time since the COVID emergency benefits began on March 15, 2020 and that has not received any COVID-19 benefits
• Active beneficiaries are individuals currently receiving EI payments
• Total gross benefit dollars began on September 27, 2020 when the EI program reverted back to pre-CERB operations

On this page

• Application processing
• EI benefits
• Active beneficiaries by province or territory and age group
• Active beneficiaries by province or territory and gender

List of tables

• Table 1: EI application processing
• Table 2: EI benefits – Number of beneficiaries
• Table 3: EI benefits – Gross benefit dollars (millions)
• Table 4: EI active beneficiaries by province or territory and age group – Number of beneficiaries
• Table 5: EI active beneficiaries by province or territory and age group - Percentage of beneficiaries
• Table 6: EI active beneficiaries by province or territory and age group – Gross benefit dollars (millions)
• Table 7: EI active beneficiaries by province or territory and age group – Percentage of gross benefit
• Table 8: EI active beneficiaries by province or territory and gender – Number of beneficiaries
• Table 9: EI active beneficiaries by province or territory and gender - Percentage of beneficiaries
• Table 10: EI active beneficiaries by province or territory and gender – Gross benefit dollars (millions)
• Table 11: EI active beneficiaries by province or territory and gender – Percentage of gross benefit

Application processing

Table 1: EI application processing

Employment Insurance (EI) program	Week starting on October 18, 2021	Cumulative from September 27, 2020
Registered applications	75,350	5,665,610
Processed applications	69,880	5,445,240
Claims established (approved applications)	43,990	4,172,910
Beneficiaries	Not applicable	4,203,290

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 is registered in one week is not 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 beneficiary is someone who receives at least 1 payment. To receive EI payments, a beneficiary must file their bi-weekly report. Each bi-weekly filing enables up to 2 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 beneficiary. As payments are 2 weeks in arrears, the last completed EI week will never show any beneficiaries
• This data is operational in nature and will fluctuate over time. In any given week, the number of registered applications and processed applications will not equal each other due to timing and volume
• Cumulative totals began on September 27, 2020 when the EI program reverted back to pre-CERB operations and the new Canada Recovery Benefits started
• All numbers are rounded to the nearest 10

EI benefits

Table 2: EI benefits – Number of beneficiaries

EI benefits	Active benefits	Cumulative benefits from September 27, 2020
Regular	746,450	3,215,580
Sickness	88,650	374,570
Fishing	13,700	21,590
Maternity and parental	187,060	418,480
Caregiving benefits and leave	6,300	25,150
Self employed	690	1,560
Emergency Response Benefit (delivered by Service Canada) - ended	0	901,460
Total	1,042,800	4,203,290

Notes for table 2

Table 3: EI benefits – Gross benefit dollars (millions)

EI benefits	Active benefits	Cumulative benefits from September 27, 2020
Regular	8,479.73	41,166.81
Sickness	477.57	2,006.60
Fishing	110.97	400.78
Maternity and parental	2,595.75	5,286.70
Caregiving benefits and leave	44.55	173.46
Self employed	7.52	15.89
Emergency Response Benefit (delivered by Service Canada) - ended	0	456.51
Total	11,716.10	49,506.75

Notes for table 2 and 3

• A beneficiary is someone who receives at least 1 payment
• Active benefits represent individuals currently receiving EI payments. The corresponding gross benefit dollars represent all gross dollars paid over the life of the claim
• Beneficiaries can move between EI benefits over time. For example, a beneficiary who is on maternity could move to caregiving benefits for the next benefit period to care for a family member. Regardless of which benefit a beneficiary moves to, they are only eligible to receive one EI benefit type per period. As a result, all values are recalculated every period
• All values for number of beneficiaries are rounded to the nearest 10
• Gross benefit dollars (millions) represents the gross amount paid, rounded to the nearest thousand. These amounts do not include tax withholds. EI withholds tax at source for all EI benefits except for the emergency response benefit

Active beneficiaries by province or territory and age group

Table 4: EI active beneficiaries by province or territory and age group – Number of beneficiaries

Provinces and territories	Under 25	25 to 34 years	35 to 44 years	45 to 54 years	55 to 64 years	65 and older	Total
Newfoundland and Labrador	6,080	9,040	8,750	10,980	14,790	5,940	55,580
Prince Edward Island	1,920	2,670	1,910	1,840	2,340	1,340	12,010
Nova Scotia	5,790	12,390	8,770	8,000	9,470	3,680	48,090
New Brunswick	8,700	11,360	8,750	9,130	12,030	4,200	54,150
Quebec	20,500	46,610	43,540	39,710	50,810	17,750	218,910
Ontario	36,290	119,880	78,860	50,480	52,640	15,110	353,260
Manitoba	4,950	12,420	7,770	4,810	4,210	1,280	35,440
Saskatchewan	3,700	10,720	6,400	3,600	3,330	1,240	28,980
Alberta	13,180	40,050	27,680	16,000	15,000	4,250	116,150
British Columbia	10,460	38,830	28,020	15,940	17,070	5,720	116,040
Yukon	100	430	310	140	170	60	1,210
Northwest Territories	170	510	330	210	190	50	1,450
Nunavut	170	360	220	170	90	20	1,020
Not applicable	20	230	180	50	20	20	530
Total	112,010	305,490	221,480	161,050	182,150	60,640	1,042,800

Notes for table 4

Table 5: EI active beneficiaries by province or territory and age group - Percentage of beneficiaries

Provinces and territories	Under 25	25 to 34 years	35 to 44 years	45 to 54 years	55 to 64 years	65 and older	Total
Newfoundland and Labrador	10.9%	16.3%	15.7%	19.7%	26.6%	10.7%	5.3%
Prince Edward Island	15.9%	22.3%	15.9%	15.3%	19.5%	11.1%	1.2%
Nova Scotia	12.0%	25.8%	18.2%	16.6%	19.7%	7.7%	4.6%
New Brunswick	16.1%	21.0%	16.1%	16.9%	22.2%	7.8%	5.2%
Quebec	9.4%	21.3%	19.9%	18.1%	23.2%	8.1%	21.0%
Ontario	10.3%	33.9%	22.3%	14.3%	14.9%	4.3%	33.9%
Manitoba	14.0%	35.0%	21.9%	13.6%	11.9%	3.6%	3.4%
Saskatchewan	12.8%	37.0%	22.1%	12.4%	11.5%	4.3%	2.8%
Alberta	11.3%	34.5%	23.8%	13.8%	12.9%	3.7%	11.1%
British Columbia	9.0%	33.5%	24.1%	13.7%	14.7%	4.9%	11.1%
Yukon	7.9%	35.5%	26.0%	11.7%	14.1%	4.9%	0.1%
Northwest Territories	11.4%	35.1%	22.6%	14.3%	13.3%	3.4%	0.1%
Nunavut	16.7%	34.9%	21.2%	17.0%	8.3%	2.0%	0.1%
Not applicable	4.2%	43.9%	34.8%	9.3%	4.2%	3.8%	0.1%
Total	10.7%	29.3%	21.2%	15.4%	17.5%	5.8%	100.0%

Notes for table 5

Table 6: EI active beneficiaries by province or territory and age group – Gross benefit dollars (millions)

Provinces and territories	Under 25	25 to 34 years	35 to 44 years	45 to 54 years	55 to 64 years	65 and older	Total
Newfoundland and Labrador	63.14	105.62	94.67	110.50	151.81	66.57	592.31
Prince Edward Island	14.03	28.37	18.97	16.62	20.14	13.60	111.73
Nova Scotia	58.10	142.02	93.95	77.76	91.72	39.32	502.86
New Brunswick	69.72	125.69	89.94	87.68	115.65	47.38	536.05
Quebec	214.45	446.27	415.25	369.18	488.43	209.33	2,142.92
Ontario	445.23	1,510.22	976.57	547.06	573.13	188.20	4,240.41
Manitoba	54.72	151.62	90.69	50.55	45.09	16.44	409.11
Saskatchewan	40.49	134.20	78.03	40.03	38.05	15.52	346.33
Alberta	159.00	519.34	348.19	187.39	184.07	56.61	1,454.60
British Columbia	110.22	465.14	332.75	167.73	185.07	69.35	1,330.26
Yukon	0.94	5.17	3.79	1.56	2.00	0.75	14.21
Northwest Territories	1.87	6.40	4.23	2.62	2.34	0.64	18.09
Nunavut	2.08	4.45	2.70	2.40	1.10	0.23	12.97
Not applicable	0.24	1.79	1.53	0.37	0.21	0.12	4.26
Total	1,234.23	3,646.30	2,551.25	1,661.45	1,898.82	724.05	11,716.10

Notes for table 6

Table 7: EI active beneficiaries by province or territory and age group – Percentage of gross benefit

Provinces and territories	Under 25	25 to 34 years	35 to 44 years	45 to 54 years	55 to 64 years	65 and older	Total
Newfoundland and Labrador	10.7%	17.8%	16.0%	18.7%	25.6%	11.2%	5.1%
Prince Edward Island	12.6%	25.4%	17.0%	14.9%	18.0%	12.2%	1.0%
Nova Scotia	11.6%	28.2%	18.7%	15.5%	18.2%	7.8%	4.3%
New Brunswick	13.0%	23.4%	16.8%	16.4%	21.6%	8.8%	4.6%
Quebec	10.0%	20.8%	19.4%	17.2%	22.8%	9.8%	18.3%
Ontario	10.5%	35.6%	23.0%	12.9%	13.5%	4.4%	36.2%
Manitoba	13.4%	37.1%	22.2%	12.4%	11.0%	4.0%	3.5%
Saskatchewan	11.7%	38.7%	22.5%	11.6%	11.0%	4.5%	3.0%
Alberta	10.9%	35.7%	23.9%	12.9%	12.7%	3.9%	12.4%
British Columbia	8.3%	35.0%	25.0%	12.6%	13.9%	5.2%	11.4%
Yukon	6.6%	36.4%	26.7%	11.0%	14.1%	5.3%	0.1%
Northwest Territories	10.3%	35.4%	23.4%	14.5%	12.9%	3.5%	0.2%
Nunavut	16.1%	34.3%	20.8%	18.5%	8.5%	1.8%	0.1%
Not applicable	5.7%	41.9%	36.0%	8.7%	5.0%	2.8%	0.0%
Total	10.5%	31.1%	21.8%	14.2%	16.2%	6.2%	100.0%

Notes for table 7

Active beneficiaries by province or territory and gender

Table 8: EI active beneficiaries by province or territory and gender – Number of beneficiaries

Provinces and territories	Female gender	Male gender	Gender diverse	Total
Newfoundland and Labrador	24,280	31,290	20	55,590
Prince Edward Island	5,810	6,200	20	12,020
Nova Scotia	22,070	26,000	20	48,090
New Brunswick	26,060	28,090	20	54,160
Quebec	89,710	129,150	40	218,910
Ontario	210,470	142,690	100	353,260
Manitoba	20,190	15,240	20	35,450
Saskatchewan	16,290	12,690	20	29,000
Alberta	66,350	49,770	40	116,150
British Columbia	68,770	47,240	30	116,040
Yukon	690	520		1,210
Northwest Territories	780	670		1,450
Nunavut	560	460		1,020
Not applicable	180	340		520
Total	552,200	490,340	330	1,042,800

Notes for table 8

Table 9: EI active beneficiaries by province or territory and gender - Percentage of beneficiaries

Provinces and territories	Female gender	Male gender	Gender diverse	Total
Newfoundland and Labrador	43.7%	56.3%	0.0%	5.3%
Prince Edward Island	48.3%	51.5%	0.2%	1.2%
Nova Scotia	45.9%	54.1%	0.0%	4.6%
New Brunswick	48.1%	51.9%	0.0%	5.2%
Quebec	41.0%	59.0%	0.0%	21.0%
Ontario	59.6%	40.4%	0.0%	33.9%
Manitoba	56.9%	43.0%	0.1%	3.4%
Saskatchewan	56.2%	43.7%	0.1%	2.8%
Alberta	57.1%	42.8%	0.0%	11.1%
British Columbia	59.3%	40.7%	0.0%	11.1%
Yukon	57.2%	42.8%	0.0%	0.1%
Northwest Territories	53.9%	46.1%	0.0%	0.1%
Nunavut	54.6%	45.4%	0.0%	0.1%
Not applicable	34.6%	65.4%	0.0%	0.0%
Total	53.0%	47.0%	0.0%	100.0%

Notes for table 9

Table 10: EI active beneficiaries by province or territory and gender – Gross benefit dollars (millions)

Provinces and territories	Female gender	Male gender	Gender diverse	Total
Newfoundland and Labrador	253.28	338.88	0.14	592.31
Prince Edward Island	53.81	57.82	0.10	111.73
Nova Scotia	238.74	263.84	0.28	502.86
New Brunswick	248.67	287.22	0.17	536.05
Quebec	856.79	1,285.37	0.76	2,142.92
Ontario	2,624.11	1,614.55	1.76	4,240.41
Manitoba	243.12	165.83	0.16	409.11
Saskatchewan	199.25	147.00	0.08	346.33
Alberta	852.87	601.01	0.71	1,454.60
British Columbia	822.25	507.50	0.51	1,330.26
Yukon	8.30	5.92		14.21
Northwest Territories	10.08	8.00		18.09
Nunavut	6.67	6.29		12.97
Not applicable	2.15	2.11		4.26
Total	6,420.08	5,291.35	4.66	11,716.10

Notes for table 10

Table 11: EI active beneficiaries by province or territory and gender – Percentage of gross benefit

Provinces and territories	Female gender	Male gender	Gender diverse	Total
Newfoundland and Labrador	42.8%	57.2%	0.0%	5.1%
Prince Edward Island	48.2%	51.7%	0.1%	1.0%
Nova Scotia	47.5%	52.5%	0.1%	4.3%
New Brunswick	46.4%	53.6%	0.0%	4.6%
Quebec	40.0%	60.0%	0.0%	18.3%
Ontario	61.9%	38.1%	0.0%	36.2%
Manitoba	59.4%	40.5%	0.0%	3.5%
Saskatchewan	57.5%	42.4%	0.0%	3.0%
Alberta	58.6%	41.3%	0.0%	12.4%
British Columbia	61.8%	38.2%	0.0%	11.4%
Yukon	58.4%	41.6%	0.0%	0.1%
Northwest Territories	55.8%	44.2%	0.0%	0.2%
Nunavut	51.5%	48.5%	0.0%	0.1%
Not applicable	50.4%	49.6%	0.0%	0.0%
Total	54.8%	45.2%	0.0%	100.0%

Notes for tables 4 to 11 inclusively

• A beneficiary is someone who receives at least 1 payment
• All values for number of beneficiaries are rounded to the nearest 10. Rounding may cause a small difference between the total and the sum of the active beneficiary values
• Gross benefit dollars (millions) represents the gross amount paid, rounded to the nearest thousand. These amounts do not include tax withhold. EI withholds tax at source for all EI benefits except for the emergency response benefit. Rounding may cause a small difference between the total and the sum of individual values
• The column 'Gender diverse' represents beneficiaries whose gender is either non-binary or not disclosed
• Not applicable is used when a beneficiary 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