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Employment Insurance (EI) program statistics

  • First-time recipients
    5,670
  • Active recipients
    986,960
  • Gross benefit paid to recipients since April 1, 2026
    13.16 billion

All data is updated weekly and is current as of October 4, 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 September 28, 2026 Cumulative from April 1, 2026
Registered applications 51,840 1,524,790
Processed applications 46,320 1,502,630
Claims established (approved applications) 35,850 1,076,230
Recipients Not applicable 1,968,600
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 609,500 1,306,900
Sickness 143,670 284,320
Fishing 12,200 19,590
Maternity and parental 212,340 339,760
Caregiving 8,760 20,190
Self employed 1,240 1,940
Total 986,960 1,968,600
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 6,205.70 8,087.01
Sickness 1,134.50 1,642.24
Fishing 112.60 172.84
Maternity and parental 3,264.14 3,135.30
Caregiving 64.80 111.86
Self employed 13.68 13.55
Total 10,795.44 13,162.67
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 2,700 6,870 7,070 8,400 11,940 5,240 42,220
Prince Edward Island 1,260 2,360 1,910 1,670 2,010 1,160 10,380
Nova Scotia 2,690 10,580 8,590 6,780 7,910 3,370 39,910
New Brunswick 2,980 9,910 8,960 8,400 10,390 4,070 44,700
Quebec 10,030 38,490 45,520 41,430 43,640 16,640 195,750
Ontario 18,700 128,270 93,170 52,570 50,850 16,620 360,180
Manitoba 2,760 11,510 8,550 5,360 4,540 1,440 34,150
Saskatchewan 2,050 8,850 6,410 3,660 3,110 1,140 25,220
Alberta 7,540 37,530 28,770 15,910 12,960 4,130 106,840
British Columbia 6,760 41,910 34,150 18,570 17,150 5,680 124,220
Yukon 50 390 300 90 80 30 940
Northwest Territories 70 360 320 160 140 30 1,080
Nunavut 90 240 200 110 80 30 740
Not Applicable 40 330 190 50 20 640
Total 57,730 297,590 244,110 163,170 164,800 59,570 986,960

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 6.4% 16.3% 16.7% 19.9% 28.3% 12.4% 4.3%
Prince Edward Island 12.2% 22.7% 18.4% 16.1% 19.4% 11.2% 1.1%
Nova Scotia 6.7% 26.5% 21.5% 17.0% 19.8% 8.4% 4.0%
New Brunswick 6.7% 22.2% 20.0% 18.8% 23.2% 9.1% 4.5%
Quebec 5.1% 19.7% 23.3% 21.2% 22.3% 8.5% 19.8%
Ontario 5.2% 35.6% 25.9% 14.6% 14.1% 4.6% 36.5%
Manitoba 8.1% 33.7% 25.0% 15.7% 13.3% 4.2% 3.5%
Saskatchewan 8.1% 35.1% 25.4% 14.5% 12.3% 4.5% 2.6%
Alberta 7.1% 35.1% 26.9% 14.9% 12.1% 3.9% 10.8%
British Columbia 5.4% 33.7% 27.5% 14.9% 13.8% 4.6% 12.6%
Yukon 5.5% 41.4% 32.3% 9.2% 8.3% 3.2% 0.1%
Northwest Territories 6.7% 33.6% 29.2% 14.3% 13.1% 3.1% 0.1%
Nunavut 12.5% 32.0% 26.9% 15.1% 10.1% 3.4% 0.1%
Not Applicable 6.3% 51.8% 30.5% 8.3% 3.1% 0.0% 0.1%
Total 5.8% 30.2% 24.7% 16.5% 16.7% 6.0% 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 22.74 82.31 77.07 88.31 129.90 54.57 454.91
Prince Edward Island 6.98 28.12 20.78 17.23 21.41 11.84 106.36
Nova Scotia 20.93 122.29 89.36 63.86 76.24 30.90 403.58
New Brunswick 24.17 112.20 92.49 83.29 108.80 44.78 465.74
Quebec 59.95 306.99 389.47 366.56 414.78 154.75 1,692.50
Ontario 155.18 1,639.95 1,150.92 558.58 571.36 177.87 4,253.85
Manitoba 20.49 134.62 89.59 47.18 44.26 14.00 350.15
Saskatchewan 17.38 112.15 72.62 36.61 33.29 11.96 284.00
Alberta 61.13 484.40 357.74 178.39 156.70 49.35 1,287.71
British Columbia 55.27 537.58 413.26 194.96 192.68 62.31 1,456.07
Yukon 0.39 5.14 3.95 0.99 0.94 0.32 11.74
Northwest Territories 0.85 5.16 4.30 1.95 1.65 0.35 14.27
Nunavut 1.00 3.23 2.53 1.57 0.99 0.32 9.64
Not Applicable 0.22 2.76 1.53 0.30 0.12 4.92
Total 446.68 3,576.91 2,765.62 1,639.79 1,753.12 613.31 10,795.44

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 5.0% 18.1% 16.9% 19.4% 28.6% 12.0% 4.2%
Prince Edward Island 6.6% 26.4% 19.5% 16.2% 20.1% 11.1% 1.0%
Nova Scotia 5.2% 30.3% 22.1% 15.8% 18.9% 7.7% 3.7%
New Brunswick 5.2% 24.1% 19.9% 17.9% 23.4% 9.6% 4.3%
Quebec 3.5% 18.1% 23.0% 21.7% 24.5% 9.1% 15.7%
Ontario 3.6% 38.6% 27.1% 13.1% 13.4% 4.2% 39.4%
Manitoba 5.9% 38.4% 25.6% 13.5% 12.6% 4.0% 3.2%
Saskatchewan 6.1% 39.5% 25.6% 12.9% 11.7% 4.2% 2.6%
Alberta 4.7% 37.6% 27.8% 13.9% 12.2% 3.8% 11.9%
British Columbia 3.8% 36.9% 28.4% 13.4% 13.2% 4.3% 13.5%
Yukon 3.3% 43.8% 33.7% 8.5% 8.0% 2.8% 0.1%
Northwest Territories 5.9% 36.2% 30.2% 13.7% 11.6% 2.5% 0.1%
Nunavut 10.3% 33.5% 26.2% 16.3% 10.3% 3.3% 0.1%
Not Applicable 4.4% 56.0% 31.1% 6.0% 2.4% 0.0% 0.0%
Total 4.1% 33.1% 25.6% 15.2% 16.2% 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 18,960 23,250 42,220
Prince Edward Island 4,930 5,450 10,380
Nova Scotia 19,210 20,710 39,910
New Brunswick 22,320 22,390 44,700
Quebec 86,880 108,870 195,750
Ontario 222,540 137,640 360,180
Manitoba 20,840 13,310 34,150
Saskatchewan 15,600 9,620 25,220
Alberta 64,520 42,320 106,840
British Columbia 75,240 48,980 124,220
Yukon 600 340 940
Northwest Territories 590 490 1,080
Nunavut 400 340 740
Not Applicable 160 480 640
Total 552,790 434,180 986,960

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 44.9% 55.1% 4.3%
Prince Edward Island 47.5% 52.5% 1.1%
Nova Scotia 48.1% 51.9% 4.0%
New Brunswick 49.9% 50.1% 4.5%
Quebec 44.4% 55.6% 19.8%
Ontario 61.8% 38.2% 36.5%
Manitoba 61.0% 39.0% 3.5%
Saskatchewan 61.9% 38.1% 2.6%
Alberta 60.4% 39.6% 10.8%
British Columbia 60.6% 39.4% 12.6%
Yukon 63.6% 36.4% 0.1%
Northwest Territories 54.6% 45.4% 0.1%
Nunavut 53.7% 46.3% 0.1%
Not Applicable 25.3% 74.7% 0.1%
Total 56.0% 44.0% 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 196.02 258.89 454.91
Prince Edward Island 49.88 56.48 106.36
Nova Scotia 202.11 201.48 403.58
New Brunswick 229.39 236.35 465.74
Quebec 689.50 1,003.00 1,692.50
Ontario 2,789.46 1,464.39 4,253.85
Manitoba 230.60 119.55 350.15
Saskatchewan 186.06 97.94 284.00
Alberta 815.03 472.68 1,287.71
British Columbia 940.71 515.36 1,456.07
Yukon 8.42 3.31 11.74
Northwest Territories 8.48 5.78 14.27
Nunavut 5.14 4.50 9.64
Not Applicable 2.23 2.69 4.92
Total 6,353.03 4,442.41 10,795.44

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 43.1% 56.9% 4.2%
Prince Edward Island 46.9% 53.1% 1.0%
Nova Scotia 50.1% 49.9% 3.7%
New Brunswick 49.3% 50.7% 4.3%
Quebec 40.7% 59.3% 15.7%
Ontario 65.6% 34.4% 39.4%
Manitoba 65.9% 34.1% 3.2%
Saskatchewan 65.5% 34.5% 2.6%
Alberta 63.3% 36.7% 11.9%
British Columbia 64.6% 35.4% 13.5%
Yukon 71.8% 28.2% 0.1%
Northwest Territories 59.5% 40.5% 0.1%
Nunavut 53.3% 46.7% 0.1%
Not Applicable 45.4% 54.6% 0.0%
Total 58.8% 41.2% 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