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July 21, 2022EMPLOYMENT INSURANCE, MAY 2022 New data on use of employment insurance for May 2022 reflects the period of May 15 to 21.
In May, there were 27,140 Nova Scotians in receipt of regular employment insurance benefits (seasonally adjusted). Nova Scotia's seasonally adjusted regular employment insurance usage declined by 830 (-3.0%) from April to May 2022.
There were 498,680 Canadians that received regular employment insurance benefits in May (seasonally adjusted), an increase of 1,340 (+0.3%) from April.
Seven provinces reported declines in regular beneficiaries this month. The largest decline in percentage terms was reported in Alberta. The largest increase in percentage terms was reported in Ontario.
Comparing the first five months of 2022 with the same period in 2021, Nova Scotia's employment insurance usage was down by 44.5%. National employment insurance usage was down by 65.1% with declines in all provinces. The largest decline in employment insurance usage was reported in Ontario and the smallest in Prince Edward Island.
The number of employment insurance beneficiaries amounted to 5.3% of the labour force in Nova Scotia in May 2022. Nationally, the share of beneficiaries was 2.4% of the labour force. Employment insurance beneficiaries reflect a larger share of the labour force in Atlantic Canada.
When compared to February 2020, employment insurance usage has increased 11.5% across Canada as of May 2022. In Nova Scotia, employment insurance usage was up 3.1% compared to the pre-pandemic benchmark. The largest percentage increases in employment insurance usage were in Quebec and Manitoba, while employment insurance usage in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia was below pre-pandemic levels.
Use of employment insurance (as a share of the labour force) remains elevated above pre-pandemic levels for all age cohorts of women as well as for men in the 15-24 year old cohort.
Across all age cohorts, there are fewer women than men of comparable ages using employment insurance.
Employment insurance use in Nova Scotia remains the highest among those in sales and service occupations, trades and transport/equipment operators, and those working in natural resources and agriculture occupations.
Use of employment insurance was down for all counties comparing unadjusted regular beneficiaries for May 2022 with those reported in May 2021.
In percentage terms, the largest decline in employment insurance use from May 2021 to May 2022 was reported in Halifax. Victoria County reported the smallest decline.
Notes: From March to September 2020, Statistics Canada suspended publication of employment insurance statistics. Canadians were eligible for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) during this period. Data for the period from March to September 2020 shows how an initial rise in employment insurance claims at the start of the pandemic was reversed as new employment insurance applicants were directed to CERB instead. After September 27, 2020 there was a temporary expansion of employment insurance and CERB recipients were transitioned back to employment insurance. Temporary changes, including a reduction in the number of insurable hours required for eligibility, ended in September 2021.
Source: Statistics Canada. Table 14-10-0011-01 Employment insurance beneficiaries (regular benefits) by province and territory, monthly, seasonally adjusted; Table 14-10-0323-01 Employment insurance beneficiaries by census division, monthly, unadjusted for seasonality; Table 14-10-0337-01 Employment insurance beneficiaries (regular benefits) by province, territory and occupation, monthly, seasonally adjusted; Table 14-10-0287-01 Labour force characteristics, monthly, seasonally adjusted and trend-cycle, last 5 months
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