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Employment Insurance (EI) program statistics

  • First-time recipients
    6,600
  • Active recipients
    1,019,120
  • Gross benefit paid to recipients since April 1, 2026
    6.72 billion

All data is updated weekly and is current as of July 12, 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 July 6, 2026 Cumulative from April 1, 2026
Registered applications 91,600 903,450
Processed applications 102,670 848,500
Claims established (approved applications) 70,160 588,400
Recipients Not applicable 1,441,500
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 654,790 943,560
Sickness 137,750 196,280
Fishing 8,630 18,610
Maternity and parental 209,240 269,640
Caregiving 8,190 12,980
Self employed 1,210 1,520
Total 1,019,120 1,441,500
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 6,091.20 4,055.73
Sickness 1,044.25 850.14
Fishing 37.92 80.75
Maternity and parental 3,253.24 1,672.67
Caregiving 58.58 56.39
Self employed 13.17 7.03
Total 10,498.35 6,722.65
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 2,660 6,870 7,260 8,700 12,590 5,470 43,540
Prince Edward Island 660 2,200 1,770 1,620 2,040 1,190 9,480
Nova Scotia 2,350 10,100 8,210 6,620 7,740 3,170 38,190
New Brunswick 2,860 9,950 9,070 8,810 11,090 4,240 46,020
Quebec 10,540 39,630 46,930 42,950 47,040 18,420 205,500
Ontario 18,350 128,180 95,390 56,590 54,400 16,700 369,600
Manitoba 2,800 11,620 8,720 6,110 5,270 1,570 36,100
Saskatchewan 2,140 8,980 6,780 4,150 3,470 1,280 26,790
Alberta 8,270 39,910 30,780 18,180 14,940 4,390 116,480
British Columbia 6,840 41,360 33,470 18,710 17,800 5,820 123,990
Yukon 50 360 320 100 90 40 940
Northwest Territories 70 390 300 140 130 40 1,070
Nunavut 80 220 180 110 70 20 670
Not Applicable 60 410 230 30 20 20 770
Total 57,700 300,180 249,410 172,810 176,690 62,370 1,019,120

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 6.1% 15.8% 16.7% 20.0% 28.9% 12.6% 4.3%
Prince Edward Island 7.0% 23.2% 18.6% 17.1% 21.5% 12.5% 0.9%
Nova Scotia 6.1% 26.4% 21.5% 17.3% 20.3% 8.3% 3.7%
New Brunswick 6.2% 21.6% 19.7% 19.1% 24.1% 9.2% 4.5%
Quebec 5.1% 19.3% 22.8% 20.9% 22.9% 9.0% 20.2%
Ontario 5.0% 34.7% 25.8% 15.3% 14.7% 4.5% 36.3%
Manitoba 7.7% 32.2% 24.2% 16.9% 14.6% 4.4% 3.5%
Saskatchewan 8.0% 33.5% 25.3% 15.5% 12.9% 4.8% 2.6%
Alberta 7.1% 34.3% 26.4% 15.6% 12.8% 3.8% 11.4%
British Columbia 5.5% 33.4% 27.0% 15.1% 14.4% 4.7% 12.2%
Yukon 5.1% 38.5% 33.6% 10.1% 9.0% 3.7% 0.1%
Northwest Territories 6.2% 36.6% 27.9% 13.4% 11.9% 4.0% 0.1%
Nunavut 11.4% 32.2% 27.0% 16.2% 10.2% 3.0% 0.1%
Not Applicable 7.3% 53.8% 29.3% 4.4% 2.6% 2.6% 0.1%
Total 5.7% 29.5% 24.5% 17.0% 17.3% 6.1% 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 25.38 82.62 77.42 87.87 132.40 56.28 461.97
Prince Edward Island 6.94 28.13 20.24 16.54 21.53 12.80 106.19
Nova Scotia 18.94 114.95 80.93 55.55 66.19 27.60 364.16
New Brunswick 25.74 111.25 88.00 81.35 109.17 46.08 461.60
Quebec 67.19 305.12 373.32 348.74 401.56 151.77 1,647.69
Ontario 159.15 1,621.90 1,100.97 516.58 518.89 153.34 4,070.83
Manitoba 22.43 133.48 85.47 45.09 42.42 13.79 342.68
Saskatchewan 18.90 112.58 70.63 35.67 31.47 11.86 281.10
Alberta 74.01 512.80 365.16 183.37 160.05 48.50 1,343.89
British Columbia 58.16 522.37 387.83 173.96 176.96 58.56 1,377.82
Yukon 0.41 4.99 4.33 1.07 1.09 0.48 12.37
Northwest Territories 0.79 5.47 4.12 1.87 1.49 0.54 14.29
Nunavut 0.86 2.66 2.13 1.26 0.79 0.18 7.89
Not Applicable 0.35 3.28 1.90 0.23 0.10 0.02 5.89
Total 479.25 3,561.58 2,662.46 1,549.15 1,664.12 581.80 10,498.35

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 5.5% 17.9% 16.8% 19.0% 28.7% 12.2% 4.4%
Prince Edward Island 6.5% 26.5% 19.1% 15.6% 20.3% 12.1% 1.0%
Nova Scotia 5.2% 31.6% 22.2% 15.3% 18.2% 7.6% 3.5%
New Brunswick 5.6% 24.1% 19.1% 17.6% 23.7% 10.0% 4.4%
Quebec 4.1% 18.5% 22.7% 21.2% 24.4% 9.2% 15.7%
Ontario 3.9% 39.8% 27.0% 12.7% 12.7% 3.8% 38.8%
Manitoba 6.5% 39.0% 24.9% 13.2% 12.4% 4.0% 3.3%
Saskatchewan 6.7% 40.0% 25.1% 12.7% 11.2% 4.2% 2.7%
Alberta 5.5% 38.2% 27.2% 13.6% 11.9% 3.6% 12.8%
British Columbia 4.2% 37.9% 28.1% 12.6% 12.8% 4.2% 13.1%
Yukon 3.3% 40.3% 35.0% 8.6% 8.8% 3.9% 0.1%
Northwest Territories 5.5% 38.3% 28.8% 13.1% 10.4% 3.8% 0.1%
Nunavut 11.0% 33.7% 27.0% 16.0% 10.1% 2.3% 0.1%
Not Applicable 6.0% 55.7% 32.3% 4.0% 1.7% 0.3% 0.1%
Total 4.6% 33.9% 25.4% 14.8% 15.9% 5.5% 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 19,110 24,440 43,540
Prince Edward Island 4,390 5,090 9,480
Nova Scotia 18,100 20,090 38,190
New Brunswick 22,440 23,590 46,020
Quebec 83,850 121,660 205,500
Ontario 228,460 141,140 369,600
Manitoba 21,300 14,800 36,100
Saskatchewan 16,560 10,230 26,790
Alberta 67,650 48,830 116,480
British Columbia 73,960 50,030 123,990
Yukon 590 350 940
Northwest Territories 570 500 1,070
Nunavut 350 330 670
Not Applicable 120 620 740
Total 557,430 461,690 1,019,120

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 43.9% 56.1% 4.3%
Prince Edward Island 46.3% 53.7% 0.9%
Nova Scotia 47.4% 52.6% 3.7%
New Brunswick 48.7% 51.3% 4.5%
Quebec 40.8% 59.2% 20.2%
Ontario 61.8% 38.2% 36.3%
Manitoba 59.0% 41.0% 3.5%
Saskatchewan 61.8% 38.2% 2.6%
Alberta 58.1% 41.9% 11.4%
British Columbia 59.6% 40.4% 12.2%
Yukon 62.8% 37.2% 0.1%
Northwest Territories 52.9% 47.1% 0.1%
Nunavut 51.6% 48.4% 0.1%
Not Applicable 16.2% 83.8% 0.1%
Total 54.7% 45.3% 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 194.17 267.80 461.97
Prince Edward Island 49.31 56.88 106.19
Nova Scotia 186.28 177.88 364.16
New Brunswick 208.42 253.18 461.60
Quebec 615.24 1,032.46 1,647.69
Ontario 2,643.94 1,426.88 4,070.83
Manitoba 213.87 128.81 342.68
Saskatchewan 179.06 102.04 281.10
Alberta 810.80 533.09 1,343.89
British Columbia 879.19 498.63 1,377.82
Yukon 8.47 3.90 12.37
Northwest Territories 8.30 5.99 14.29
Nunavut 4.45 3.43 7.89
Not Applicable 1.93 3.96 5.89
Total 6,003.42 4,494.93 10,498.35

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 42.0% 58.0% 4.4%
Prince Edward Island 46.4% 53.6% 1.0%
Nova Scotia 51.2% 48.8% 3.5%
New Brunswick 45.2% 54.8% 4.4%
Quebec 37.3% 62.7% 15.7%
Ontario 64.9% 35.1% 38.8%
Manitoba 62.4% 37.6% 3.3%
Saskatchewan 63.7% 36.3% 2.7%
Alberta 60.3% 39.7% 12.8%
British Columbia 63.8% 36.2% 13.1%
Yukon 68.5% 31.5% 0.1%
Northwest Territories 58.1% 41.9% 0.1%
Nunavut 56.5% 43.5% 0.1%
Not Applicable 32.8% 67.2% 0.1%
Total 57.2% 42.8% 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