Canadian EI benefit rolls continue to decline people

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Canadian EI benefit rolls continue to decline

OTTAWA — The number of people receiving regular employment insurance benefits declined in March for the sixth straight month, Statistics Canada said Thursday.


Beneficiaries were down three per cent in March to 606,200, with declines recorded in every province, the federal agency said. The biggest declines were in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and British Columbia.


On a yearlt basis, the number of people receiving EI benefits dropped 9.9 per cent from March 2010.


Also in March, initial and renewal claims fell 4.4 per cent to 226,600, the largest amount of previous three monthly declines.


"With this decrease, the number of claims received is the lowest since August 2008, just prior to the start of the labour market downturn," the agency said.




The number of people receiving regular employment insurance benefits declined in March for the sixth straight month, Statistics Canada said Thursday.