Employment Insurance (EI) program statistics

All data is updated weekly and is current as of July 18, 2021.

Notes

1. 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
2. Active beneficiaries are individuals currently receiving EI payments
3. 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 July 12, 2021	Cumulative from September 27, 2020
Registered applications	68,080	4,820,630
Processed applications	68,780	4,735,860
Claims established (approved applications)	46,420	3,815,660
Beneficiaries	Not applicable	3,878,600

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 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	1,861,290	3,017,070
Sickness	102,070	305,770
Fishing	9,890	20,670
Maternity and parental	191,710	353,370
Caregiving benefits and leave	6,720	19,750
Self employed	670	1,310
Emergency Response Benefit (delivered by Service Canada) - ended	0	901,540
Total	2,171,220	3,878,600

Notes for table 2

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

EI benefits	Active benefits	Cumulative benefits from September 27, 2020
Regular	24,496.83	32,681.10
Sickness	516.46	1,460.46
Fishing	40.45	308.73
Maternity and parental	2,603.35	3,832.41
Caregiving benefits and leave	49.97	124.94
Self employed	7.20	11.36
Emergency Response Benefit (delivered by Service Canada) - ended	0	454.58
Total	27,714.26	38,873.58

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	8,660	13,430	13,370	16,510	20,840	8,060	80,880
Prince Edward Island	2,060	3,570	2,890	2,900	3,610	1,990	17,020
Nova Scotia	9,790	20,060	15,460	14,720	17,400	6,600	84,010
New Brunswick	10,000	16,740	14,510	15,610	19,920	7,130	83,920
Quebec	44,220	93,400	88,220	81,260	100,840	40,370	448,300
Ontario	102,380	221,510	163,920	135,910	137,380	46,650	807,750
Manitoba	10,630	20,910	15,580	12,380	11,320	3,950	74,780
Saskatchewan	6,430	16,520	12,450	8,990	8,450	3,270	56,110
Alberta	32,070	72,350	59,730	43,580	41,080	13,380	262,190
British Columbia	24,750	66,830	54,490	42,510	44,630	16,610	249,820
Yukon	150	600	490	270	290	120	1,920
Northwest Territories	210	750	550	380	370	120	2,370
Nunavut	230	490	310	280	140	30	1,480
Not applicable	40	270	230	80	50	20	680
Total	251,610	547,420	442,200	375,360	406,320	148,310	2,171,220

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	10.7%	16.6%	16.5%	20.4%	25.8%	10.0%	3.7%
Prince Edward Island	12.1%	21.0%	17.0%	17.0%	21.2%	11.7%	0.8%
Nova Scotia	11.6%	23.9%	18.4%	17.5%	20.7%	7.9%	3.9%
New Brunswick	11.9%	20.0%	17.3%	18.6%	23.7%	8.5%	3.9%
Quebec	9.9%	20.8%	19.7%	18.1%	22.5%	9.0%	20.6%
Ontario	12.7%	27.4%	20.3%	16.8%	17.0%	5.8%	37.2%
Manitoba	14.2%	28.0%	20.8%	16.6%	15.1%	5.3%	3.4%
Saskatchewan	11.5%	29.4%	22.2%	16.0%	15.1%	5.8%	2.6%
Alberta	12.2%	27.6%	22.8%	16.6%	15.7%	5.1%	12.1%
British Columbia	9.9%	26.8%	21.8%	17.0%	17.9%	6.6%	11.5%
Yukon	7.7%	31.3%	25.5%	13.9%	15.2%	6.4%	0.1%
Northwest Territories	8.9%	31.7%	23.1%	15.9%	15.5%	4.8%	0.1%
Nunavut	15.3%	33.1%	21.1%	18.8%	9.4%	2.3%	0.1%
Not applicable	5.3%	38.7%	33.6%	11.5%	7.9%	2.9%	0.0%
Total	11.6%	25.2%	20.4%	17.3%	18.7%	6.8%	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	106.03	169.29	161.31	192.33	251.63	108.46	989.06
Prince Edward Island	26.96	43.81	33.97	32.90	41.34	26.14	205.12
Nova Scotia	109.72	249.57	189.97	168.88	204.29	88.08	1,010.51
New Brunswick	133.60	209.10	175.17	178.00	231.64	99.72	1,027.23
Quebec	542.49	1,041.77	983.32	913.09	1,191.79	576.45	5,248.91
Ontario	1,347.60	2,925.65	2,170.51	1,694.70	1,778.30	684.34	10,601.10
Manitoba	134.53	268.88	189.37	134.80	129.56	56.70	913.84
Saskatchewan	81.49	218.89	161.00	110.30	107.61	48.62	727.91
Alberta	426.65	995.71	829.46	587.43	584.71	213.89	3,637.85
British Columbia	314.66	861.99	710.46	536.42	590.17	252.65	3,266.35
Yukon	2.02	7.94	6.56	3.62	4.07	1.90	26.10
Northwest Territories	2.87	10.77	8.15	5.63	5.40	1.78	34.60
Nunavut	2.72	6.56	4.40	3.88	1.86	0.48	19.89
Not applicable	0.33	2.02	1.81	0.77	0.66	0.19	5.78
Total	3,231.68	7,011.93	5,625.46	4,562.77	5,123.02	2,159.40	27,714.26

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%	17.1%	16.3%	19.4%	25.4%	11.0%	3.6%
Prince Edward Island	13.1%	21.4%	16.6%	16.0%	20.2%	12.7%	0.7%
Nova Scotia	10.9%	24.7%	18.8%	16.7%	20.2%	8.7%	3.6%
New Brunswick	13.0%	20.4%	17.1%	17.3%	22.6%	9.7%	3.7%
Quebec	10.3%	19.8%	18.7%	17.4%	22.7%	11.0%	18.9%
Ontario	12.7%	27.6%	20.5%	16.0%	16.8%	6.5%	38.3%
Manitoba	14.7%	29.4%	20.7%	14.8%	14.2%	6.2%	3.3%
Saskatchewan	11.2%	30.1%	22.1%	15.2%	14.8%	6.7%	2.6%
Alberta	11.7%	27.4%	22.8%	16.1%	16.1%	5.9%	13.1%
British Columbia	9.6%	26.4%	21.8%	16.4%	18.1%	7.7%	11.8%
Yukon	7.7%	30.4%	25.1%	13.9%	15.6%	7.3%	0.1%
Northwest Territories	8.3%	31.1%	23.5%	16.3%	15.6%	5.2%	0.1%
Nunavut	13.7%	33.0%	22.1%	19.5%	9.3%	2.4%	0.1%
Not applicable	5.7%	35.0%	31.3%	13.3%	11.4%	3.2%	0.0%
Total	11.7%	25.3%	20.3%	16.5%	18.5%	7.8%	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	36,400	44,460	20	80,880
Prince Edward Island	8,390	8,620	20	17,030
Nova Scotia	41,300	42,650	70	84,010
New Brunswick	40,470	43,400	40	83,920
Quebec	199,850	248,280	170	448,300
Ontario	477,540	329,800	410	807,750
Manitoba	42,800	31,940	40	74,780
Saskatchewan	30,790	25,300	30	56,110
Alberta	142,000	120,050	140	262,190
British Columbia	144,570	105,100	140	249,820
Yukon	1,050	870	20	1,940
Northwest Territories	1,220	1,160		2,370
Nunavut	740	740		1,480
Not applicable	240	440		680
Total	1,167,340	1,002,800	1,100	2,171,220

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	45.0%	55.0%	0.0%	3.7%
Prince Edward Island	49.2%	50.6%	0.1%	0.8%
Nova Scotia	49.2%	50.8%	0.1%	3.9%
New Brunswick	48.2%	51.7%	0.0%	3.9%
Quebec	44.6%	55.4%	0.0%	20.6%
Ontario	59.1%	40.8%	0.1%	37.2%
Manitoba	57.2%	42.7%	0.1%	3.4%
Saskatchewan	54.9%	45.1%	0.0%	2.6%
Alberta	54.2%	45.8%	0.1%	12.1%
British Columbia	57.9%	42.1%	0.1%	11.5%
Yukon	54.0%	45.0%	1.0%	0.1%
Northwest Territories	51.2%	48.8%	0.0%	0.1%
Nunavut	50.3%	49.7%	0.0%	0.1%
Not applicable	35.6%	64.4%	0.0%	0.0%
Total	53.8%	46.2%	0.1%	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	439.44	549.31	0.30	989.06
Prince Edward Island	99.46	105.41	0.25	205.12
Nova Scotia	493.41	516.10	1.00	1,010.51
New Brunswick	479.69	546.90	0.64	1,027.23
Quebec	2,340.15	2,906.07	2.69	5,248.91
Ontario	6,118.38	4,475.77	6.95	10,601.10
Manitoba	504.27	408.86	0.71	913.84
Saskatchewan	375.86	351.63	0.42	727.91
Alberta	1,909.53	1,725.98	2.35	3,637.85
British Columbia	1,849.13	1,414.78	2.44	3,266.35
Yukon	13.89	12.20	0.01	26.10
Northwest Territories	17.02	17.58		34.60
Nunavut	9.41	10.48		19.89
Not applicable	2.98	2.80		5.78
Total	14,652.61	13,043.88	17.77	27,714.26

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	44.4%	55.5%	0.0%	3.6%
Prince Edward Island	48.5%	51.4%	0.1%	0.7%
Nova Scotia	48.8%	51.1%	0.1%	3.6%
New Brunswick	46.7%	53.2%	0.1%	3.7%
Quebec	44.6%	55.4%	0.1%	18.9%
Ontario	57.7%	42.2%	0.1%	38.3%
Manitoba	55.2%	44.7%	0.1%	3.3%
Saskatchewan	51.6%	48.3%	0.1%	2.6%
Alberta	52.5%	47.4%	0.1%	13.1%
British Columbia	56.6%	43.3%	0.1%	11.8%
Yukon	53.2%	46.8%	0.0%	0.1%
Northwest Territories	49.2%	50.8%	0.0%	0.1%
Nunavut	47.3%	52.7%	0.0%	0.1%
Not applicable	51.5%	48.5%	0.0%	0.0%
Total	52.9%	47.1%	0.1%	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