The number of Canadians receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits held steady (+0.3%; +1,400) in March at 497,000, following an increase in February (+1.9%; +9,000). Compared with March 2024, the number of regular EI beneficiaries was up by 28,000 (+6.0%) in March 2025, reported Statistics Canada on Thursday.
Data from the Labour Force Survey indicate that the unemployment rate was up 0.6 percentage points year over year to 6.7% in March, said the federal agency.
Number of regular Employment Insurance beneficiaries up over the 12 months ending in March
“In March, the number of EI recipients receiving regular benefits edged up among youth aged 15 to 24 years (+800; +1.8%), bringing the cumulative increase over the past three months to 2,300 (+5.1%) for this group. There was little change in March in the number of core-aged (25 to 54 years old) regular EI recipients and those aged 55 and older, said the report.
“Compared with a year earlier, increases in the number of people receiving regular EI benefits were largest among core-aged men (+14,000; +7.7%) and core-aged women (+6,300; +5.5%). There were smaller increases among men (+3,900; +4.9%) and women (+3,100; +6.6%) aged 55 years and older. The number of young men who received regular EI benefits was up by 1,000 (+2.9%) compared with March 2024 and held steady for young women.”
In March, the number of beneficiaries receiving regular EI benefits rose slightly in Alberta (+1.7%; +1,000), following an increase (+3.4%; +1,900) in February. The increase in March was among core-aged men and women (+1.6%; +600). Ontario also recorded a slight increase in March (+1.1%; +1,800), mainly among core-aged women, explained StatsCan.
Alberta and Ontario post the largest proportional increases in regular Employment Insurance recipients in March
“In March, slight increases in the number of recipients who last worked in natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations (+800; +2.8%); manufacturing and utilities (+700; +1.9%); as well as natural and applied sciences and related occupations (+500; +1.3%) offset a decrease among recipients who last worked in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (-2,000; -1.2%), ” added the report.
“Compared with March 2024, the number of regular EI recipients was up across nearly all major occupational groups in March 2025. Increases were largest for beneficiaries who were last employed in business, finance and administration occupations (+6,000; +10.8%), followed by trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (+4,700; +2.9%), natural and applied sciences and related occupations (+4,400; +13.1%), and sales and service occupations (+4,300; +5.7%).”
Mario Toneguzzi
Mario Toneguzzi is Managing Editor of Canada’s Entrepreneur. He has more than 40 years of experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist, and editor. He was named in 2021 and 2024 as one of the top business journalists in the world by PR News. He was also named by RETHINK to its global list of Top Retail Experts 2024 and 2025.
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