Employment Insurance (EI) program statistics

All data is updated weekly and is current as of March 19, 2023.

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 March 13, 2023	Cumulative from September 27, 2020
Registered applications	57,640	10,036,220
Processed applications	66,090	9,831,360
Claims established (approved applications)	44,350	7,482,850
Beneficiaries	Not applicable	5,427,400

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	627,380	3,964,320
Sickness	81,480	740,590
Fishing	17,010	27,080
Maternity and parental	182,070	709,870
Caregiving benefits and leave	5,990	53,370
Self employed	740	2,980
Emergency Response Benefit (delivered by Service Canada) - ended	0	901,650
Total	914,650	5,427,400

Notes for table 2

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

EI benefits	Active benefits	Cumulative benefits from September 27, 2020
Regular	3,887.39	61,698.69
Sickness	378.30	4,429.84
Fishing	148.28	987.70
Maternity and parental	2,519.23	12,417.01
Caregiving benefits and leave	36.72	382.60
Self employed	6.80	37.35
Emergency Response Benefit (delivered by Service Canada) - ended	0	450.92
Total	6,976.73	80,404.11

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	4,330	8,790	8,990	11,820	16,660	6,390	56,980
Prince Edward Island	1,580	2,950	2,330	2,500	3,300	1,890	14,550
Nova Scotia	3,890	11,100	8,310	7,620	9,540	3,980	44,450
New Brunswick	4,370	10,930	9,480	10,240	13,710	5,100	53,820
Quebec	14,520	45,470	44,440	39,610	49,120	16,990	210,150
Ontario	21,910	105,330	70,970	38,740	40,340	11,200	288,490
Manitoba	3,710	11,050	6,990	3,940	3,980	1,230	30,900
Saskatchewan	2,810	9,560	5,860	3,360	3,540	1,530	26,640
Alberta	8,570	33,560	22,990	11,430	10,650	3,070	90,270
British Columbia	6,700	33,120	24,710	12,530	13,350	4,280	94,690
Yukon	80	400	330	140	160	70	1,170
Northwest Territories	70	320	240	120	100	20	880
Nunavut	70	240	190	90	60	20	670
Not applicable	50	480	340	70	50	20	1,020
Total	72,670	273,300	206,180	142,190	164,560	55,780	914,650

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	7.6%	15.4%	15.8%	20.7%	29.2%	11.2%	6.2%
Prince Edward Island	10.9%	20.3%	16.0%	17.2%	22.7%	13.0%	1.6%
Nova Scotia	8.7%	25.0%	18.7%	17.1%	21.5%	9.0%	4.9%
New Brunswick	8.1%	20.3%	17.6%	19.0%	25.5%	9.5%	5.9%
Quebec	6.9%	21.6%	21.1%	18.8%	23.4%	8.1%	23.0%
Ontario	7.6%	36.5%	24.6%	13.4%	14.0%	3.9%	31.5%
Manitoba	12.0%	35.8%	22.6%	12.8%	12.9%	4.0%	3.4%
Saskatchewan	10.5%	35.9%	22.0%	12.6%	13.3%	5.7%	2.9%
Alberta	9.5%	37.2%	25.5%	12.7%	11.8%	3.4%	9.9%
British Columbia	7.1%	35.0%	26.1%	13.2%	14.1%	4.5%	10.4%
Yukon	6.5%	33.7%	28.1%	12.1%	13.9%	5.7%	0.1%
Northwest Territories	8.2%	36.5%	27.9%	13.1%	11.8%	2.5%	0.1%
Nunavut	11.0%	35.8%	27.4%	13.9%	8.9%	3.0%	0.1%
Not applicable	5.1%	47.3%	33.4%	7.2%	5.1%	2.0%	0.1%
Total	7.9%	29.9%	22.5%	15.5%	18.0%	6.1%	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	30.81	73.58	68.74	84.07	122.56	50.11	429.87
Prince Edward Island	11.58	25.48	18.82	18.30	23.72	13.80	111.69
Nova Scotia	25.31	99.45	68.54	52.56	63.76	27.70	337.31
New Brunswick	28.56	92.73	69.02	66.28	91.26	36.88	384.73
Quebec	70.96	236.33	233.83	210.09	271.23	99.64	1,122.08
Ontario	127.96	1,068.62	694.25	222.63	229.10	63.63	2,406.18
Manitoba	23.63	108.38	65.39	25.65	25.60	8.46	257.11
Saskatchewan	20.19	102.67	57.74	25.51	26.73	11.70	244.54
Alberta	55.92	351.96	231.05	85.17	79.95	22.39	826.43
British Columbia	40.96	338.02	249.30	81.71	85.42	27.40	822.81
Yukon	0.57	4.04	3.43	1.11	1.54	0.53	11.21
Northwest Territories	0.63	3.60	2.88	0.92	0.92	0.17	9.13
Nunavut	0.75	2.79	2.14	1.13	0.57	0.07	7.45
Not applicable	0.26	2.83	2.27	0.42	0.31	0.10	6.19
Total	438.07	2,510.48	1,767.40	875.54	1,022.65	362.58	6,976.73

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	7.2%	17.1%	16.0%	19.6%	28.5%	11.7%	6.2%
Prince Edward Island	10.4%	22.8%	16.8%	16.4%	21.2%	12.4%	1.6%
Nova Scotia	7.5%	29.5%	20.3%	15.6%	18.9%	8.2%	4.8%
New Brunswick	7.4%	24.1%	17.9%	17.2%	23.7%	9.6%	5.5%
Quebec	6.3%	21.1%	20.8%	18.7%	24.2%	8.9%	16.1%
Ontario	5.3%	44.4%	28.9%	9.3%	9.5%	2.6%	34.5%
Manitoba	9.2%	42.2%	25.4%	10.0%	10.0%	3.3%	3.7%
Saskatchewan	8.3%	42.0%	23.6%	10.4%	10.9%	4.8%	3.5%
Alberta	6.8%	42.6%	28.0%	10.3%	9.7%	2.7%	11.8%
British Columbia	5.0%	41.1%	30.3%	9.9%	10.4%	3.3%	11.8%
Yukon	5.1%	36.0%	30.6%	9.9%	13.7%	4.7%	0.2%
Northwest Territories	6.9%	39.5%	31.5%	10.1%	10.1%	1.9%	0.1%
Nunavut	10.0%	37.5%	28.8%	15.1%	7.6%	0.9%	0.1%
Not applicable	4.2%	45.8%	36.7%	6.8%	4.9%	1.6%	0.1%
Total	6.3%	36.0%	25.3%	12.5%	14.7%	5.2%	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	22,710	34,270		56,980
Prince Edward Island	5,910	8,640		14,550
Nova Scotia	18,480	25,970		44,450
New Brunswick	21,480	32,340		53,820
Quebec	59,900	150,250		210,150
Ontario	152,520	135,960		288,490
Manitoba	14,380	16,520		30,900
Saskatchewan	12,410	14,230		26,640
Alberta	45,460	44,810		90,270
British Columbia	51,830	42,860		94,690
Yukon	570	610		1,170
Northwest Territories	450	430		880
Nunavut	320	340		660
Not applicable	220	800		1,010
Total	406,630	508,020		914,650

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	39.9%	60.1%	0.0%	6.2%
Prince Edward Island	40.6%	59.4%	0.0%	1.6%
Nova Scotia	41.6%	58.4%	0.0%	4.9%
New Brunswick	39.9%	60.1%	0.0%	5.9%
Quebec	28.5%	71.5%	0.0%	23.0%
Ontario	52.9%	47.1%	0.0%	31.5%
Manitoba	46.5%	53.5%	0.0%	3.4%
Saskatchewan	46.6%	53.4%	0.0%	2.9%
Alberta	50.4%	49.6%	0.0%	9.9%
British Columbia	54.7%	45.3%	0.0%	10.4%
Yukon	48.3%	51.7%	0.0%	0.1%
Northwest Territories	51.0%	49.0%	0.0%	0.1%
Nunavut	48.6%	51.4%	0.0%	0.1%
Not applicable	21.4%	78.6%	0.0%	0.1%
Total	44.5%	55.5%	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	174.51	255.36		429.87
Prince Edward Island	46.98	64.71		111.69
Nova Scotia	154.86	182.45		337.31
New Brunswick	155.81	228.93		384.73
Quebec	308.80	813.28		1,122.08
Ontario	1,584.98	821.20		2,406.18
Manitoba	147.82	109.28		257.11
Saskatchewan	137.60	106.94		244.54
Alberta	510.36	316.08		826.43
British Columbia	546.06	276.75		822.81
Yukon	6.69	4.51		11.21
Northwest Territories	5.62	3.51		9.13
Nunavut	4.21	3.23		7.45
Not applicable	2.24	3.95		6.19
Total	3,786.54	3,190.19		6,976.73

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	40.6%	59.4%	0.0%	6.2%
Prince Edward Island	42.1%	57.9%	0.0%	1.6%
Nova Scotia	45.9%	54.1%	0.0%	4.8%
New Brunswick	40.5%	59.5%	0.0%	5.5%
Quebec	27.5%	72.5%	0.0%	16.1%
Ontario	65.9%	34.1%	0.0%	34.5%
Manitoba	57.5%	42.5%	0.0%	3.7%
Saskatchewan	56.3%	43.7%	0.0%	3.5%
Alberta	61.8%	38.2%	0.0%	11.8%
British Columbia	66.4%	33.6%	0.0%	11.8%
Yukon	59.7%	40.3%	0.0%	0.2%
Northwest Territories	61.6%	38.4%	0.0%	0.1%
Nunavut	56.6%	43.4%	0.0%	0.1%
Not applicable	36.2%	63.8%	0.0%	0.1%
Total	54.3%	45.7%	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