Employment Insurance (EI) program statistics

All data is updated weekly and is current as of January 16, 2022.

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 January 10, 2022	Cumulative from September 27, 2020
Registered applications	106,260	6,522,080
Processed applications	117,160	6,265,000
Claims established (approved applications)	90,740	4,901,660
Beneficiaries	Not applicable	4,446,910

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	848,830	3,372,560
Sickness	84,140	434,590
Fishing	14,530	23,360
Maternity and parental	185,280	466,790
Caregiving benefits and leave	5,780	29,660
Self employed	670	1,740
Emergency Response Benefit (delivered by Service Canada) - ended	0	901,490
Total	1,139,170	4,446,910

Notes for table 2

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

EI benefits	Active benefits	Cumulative benefits from September 27, 2020
Regular	6,141.26	45,445.94
Sickness	408.11	2,446.02
Fishing	61.77	502.56
Maternity and parental	2,666.17	6,501.54
Caregiving benefits and leave	38.99	210.19
Self employed	7.89	19.75
Emergency Response Benefit (delivered by Service Canada) - ended	0	456.53
Total	9,324.18	55,582.52

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	6,280	10,060	9,990	12,630	16,990	6,400	62,350
Prince Edward Island	3,100	3,400	2,530	2,520	3,450	2,010	17,010
Nova Scotia	6,330	13,580	9,910	9,210	11,240	4,310	54,580
New Brunswick	11,530	12,740	10,120	11,040	14,580	5,190	65,180
Quebec	25,350	57,190	53,930	51,100	64,020	21,560	273,150
Ontario	31,310	118,200	79,820	50,350	52,970	14,950	347,610
Manitoba	5,390	13,450	8,450	5,440	5,260	1,650	39,630
Saskatchewan	4,250	11,910	7,240	4,430	4,540	1,760	34,110
Alberta	12,560	40,700	28,630	16,380	16,220	4,750	119,240
British Columbia	10,440	39,630	29,440	16,800	18,450	6,320	121,090
Yukon	130	540	400	210	270	80	1,630
Northwest Territories	170	550	330	260	240	60	1,600
Nunavut	140	330	210	140	80	20	910
Not applicable	60	540	390	80	30	20	1,120
Total	117,020	322,800	241,390	180,580	208,340	69,080	1,139,170

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	10.1%	16.1%	16.0%	20.3%	27.3%	10.3%	5.5%
Prince Edward Island	18.2%	20.0%	14.9%	14.8%	20.3%	11.8%	1.5%
Nova Scotia	11.6%	24.9%	18.2%	16.9%	20.6%	7.9%	4.8%
New Brunswick	17.7%	19.5%	15.5%	16.9%	22.4%	8.0%	5.7%
Quebec	9.3%	20.9%	19.7%	18.7%	23.4%	7.9%	24.0%
Ontario	9.0%	34.0%	23.0%	14.5%	15.2%	4.3%	30.5%
Manitoba	13.6%	33.9%	21.3%	13.7%	13.3%	4.2%	3.5%
Saskatchewan	12.4%	34.9%	21.2%	13.0%	13.3%	5.1%	3.0%
Alberta	10.5%	34.1%	24.0%	13.7%	13.6%	4.0%	10.5%
British Columbia	8.6%	32.7%	24.3%	13.9%	15.2%	5.2%	10.6%
Yukon	8.1%	32.9%	24.6%	12.9%	16.3%	5.0%	0.1%
Northwest Territories	10.3%	34.6%	20.7%	16.0%	14.7%	3.7%	0.1%
Nunavut	15.0%	35.7%	23.5%	15.1%	8.4%	2.2%	0.1%
Not applicable	5.6%	48.1%	34.6%	7.4%	2.5%	1.8%	0.1%
Total	10.3%	28.3%	21.2%	15.9%	18.3%	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	55.95	87.54	71.23	76.21	109.67	49.94	450.54
Prince Edward Island	20.93	28.48	17.63	13.82	18.69	11.34	110.90
Nova Scotia	55.00	129.19	81.91	62.18	73.28	30.33	431.89
New Brunswick	89.00	110.75	71.12	65.54	86.49	35.03	457.92
Quebec	144.08	304.07	287.77	268.34	345.32	136.14	1,485.71
Ontario	268.24	1,283.63	811.24	372.72	399.73	118.87	3,254.43
Manitoba	45.24	143.39	82.97	42.84	38.29	11.74	364.46
Saskatchewan	38.09	133.46	73.17	36.30	35.70	13.19	329.90
Alberta	110.99	461.81	301.88	145.96	147.34	44.29	1,212.28
British Columbia	87.37	434.30	311.42	138.71	150.85	53.15	1,175.79
Yukon	1.11	5.28	3.96	1.73	2.04	0.66	14.77
Northwest Territories	1.84	6.54	3.85	2.66	2.30	0.65	17.85
Nunavut	1.72	4.22	2.59	1.79	0.80	0.11	11.23
Not applicable	0.34	2.94	2.47	0.48	0.20	0.08	6.51
Total	919.88	3,135.61	2,123.19	1,229.29	1,410.69	505.53	9,324.18

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	12.4%	19.4%	15.8%	16.9%	24.3%	11.1%	4.8%
Prince Edward Island	18.9%	25.7%	15.9%	12.5%	16.9%	10.2%	1.2%
Nova Scotia	12.7%	29.9%	19.0%	14.4%	17.0%	7.0%	4.6%
New Brunswick	19.4%	24.2%	15.5%	14.3%	18.9%	7.6%	4.9%
Quebec	9.7%	20.5%	19.4%	18.1%	23.2%	9.2%	15.9%
Ontario	8.2%	39.4%	24.9%	11.5%	12.3%	3.7%	34.9%
Manitoba	12.4%	39.3%	22.8%	11.8%	10.5%	3.2%	3.9%
Saskatchewan	11.5%	40.5%	22.2%	11.0%	10.8%	4.0%	3.5%
Alberta	9.2%	38.1%	24.9%	12.0%	12.2%	3.7%	13.0%
British Columbia	7.4%	36.9%	26.5%	11.8%	12.8%	4.5%	12.6%
Yukon	7.5%	35.7%	26.8%	11.7%	13.8%	4.5%	0.2%
Northwest Territories	10.3%	36.7%	21.6%	14.9%	12.9%	3.6%	0.2%
Nunavut	15.3%	37.5%	23.1%	16.0%	7.1%	1.0%	0.1%
Not applicable	5.2%	45.2%	37.9%	7.4%	3.0%	1.3%	0.1%
Total	9.9%	33.6%	22.8%	13.2%	15.1%	5.4%	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	26,120	36,230	20	62,370
Prince Edward Island	7,590	9,420	20	17,020
Nova Scotia	24,640	29,930	20	54,590
New Brunswick	29,010	36,170	20	65,200
Quebec	94,080	179,070	20	273,170
Ontario	190,520	157,070	20	347,610
Manitoba	19,140	20,490		39,630
Saskatchewan	16,320	17,790	20	34,130
Alberta	60,820	58,410	20	119,250
British Columbia	67,630	53,450	20	121,100
Yukon	800	830		1,630
Northwest Territories	760	840		1,600
Nunavut	500	400		900
Not applicable	170	940		1,110
Total	538,090	601,030	180	1,139,170

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	41.9%	58.1%	0.0%	5.5%
Prince Edward Island	44.6%	55.3%	0.1%	1.5%
Nova Scotia	45.1%	54.8%	0.0%	4.8%
New Brunswick	44.5%	55.5%	0.0%	5.7%
Quebec	34.4%	65.6%	0.0%	24.0%
Ontario	54.8%	45.2%	0.0%	30.5%
Manitoba	48.3%	51.7%	0.0%	3.5%
Saskatchewan	47.8%	52.1%	0.1%	3.0%
Alberta	51.0%	49.0%	0.0%	10.5%
British Columbia	55.8%	44.1%	0.0%	10.6%
Yukon	49.3%	50.7%	0.0%	0.1%
Northwest Territories	47.3%	52.7%	0.0%	0.1%
Nunavut	55.8%	44.2%	0.0%	0.1%
Not applicable	15.6%	84.4%	0.0%	0.1%
Total	47.2%	52.8%	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	221.88	228.57	0.09	450.54
Prince Edward Island	55.96	54.91	0.02	110.90
Nova Scotia	226.95	204.84	0.10	431.89
New Brunswick	232.76	225.15	0.01	457.92
Quebec	616.65	868.99	0.07	1,485.71
Ontario	2,121.39	1,132.69	0.35	3,254.43
Manitoba	215.96	148.50		364.46
Saskatchewan	195.18	134.69	0.03	329.90
Alberta	741.22	470.87	0.19	1,212.28
British Columbia	757.56	418.03	0.20	1,175.79
Yukon	8.72	6.05		14.77
Northwest Territories	10.19	7.66		17.85
Nunavut	6.83	4.40		11.23
Not applicable	1.96	4.55		6.51
Total	5,413.21	3,909.92	1.06	9,324.18

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	49.2%	50.7%	0.0%	4.8%
Prince Edward Island	50.5%	49.5%	0.0%	1.2%
Nova Scotia	52.5%	47.4%	0.0%	4.6%
New Brunswick	50.8%	49.2%	0.0%	4.9%
Quebec	41.5%	58.5%	0.0%	15.9%
Ontario	65.2%	34.8%	0.0%	34.9%
Manitoba	59.3%	40.7%	0.0%	3.9%
Saskatchewan	59.2%	40.8%	0.0%	3.5%
Alberta	61.1%	38.8%	0.0%	13.0%
British Columbia	64.4%	35.6%	0.0%	12.6%
Yukon	59.1%	40.9%	0.0%	0.2%
Northwest Territories	57.1%	42.9%	0.0%	0.2%
Nunavut	60.8%	39.2%	0.0%	0.1%
Not applicable	30.2%	69.8%	0.0%	0.1%
Total	58.1%	41.9%	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