Rise of EI claims in B.C. among the highest in Canada
The number of beneficiaries collecting employment insurance in B.C. in September jumped by 11,280, or 12.8 per cent, to 99,360. That total number of recipients is now 130 per cent above this time last year, the second-biggest rise in the country, according to a report released Tuesday by Statistics Canada.
By city, Vancouver now has 31,340 EI beneficiaries, 149 per cent more than in September of last year. Victoria`s total rose 134 per cent to 3,650, more than double the 1,560 on EI during the same month last year
Nationally, the number of people collecting EI jumped more than seven per cent in September, after declining in the previous two months, as the economy struggled to recover from the first recession since the early 1990s.
Regular EI recipients grew by 54,300 to 818,020 during the month, with biggest increases coming in Alberta, B.C. and Ontario. National and provincial data is seasonally adjusted, while data from cities is not.
The national September total is up 63.5 per cent since peak employment in October 2008.
Although the Canadian economy added jobs in September, the higher EI rolls during the month likely reflects "a lag" from previous employment declines, said Statistics Canada analyst Vincent Ferrao.
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