The number of Canadians receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits increased by 8,900 (+1.6%) in November to 566,000. After trending up for the first half of the year—increasing 66,000 (+13.5%) from January to July—the number of beneficiaries had been little changed in August, September and October, reported Statistics Canada on Thursday.
Data from the Labour Force Survey indicate that the unemployment rate trended up through most of 2025, reaching 7.1% in September prior to pulling back to 6.5% in November, noted the federal agency.
In general, variations in the number of EI beneficiaries receiving regular benefits can reflect changes in the circumstances of different groups of people, including new beneficiaries, individuals going back to work, those who have exhausted their regular benefits, and others who no longer receive benefits for various reasons.
“In November, the increase in the number of people receiving regular EI benefits was concentrated among core-aged (25 to 54 years old) men (+5,400; +2.5%), and men aged 55 and older (+2,100; +2.3%),” it said.
“In the 12 months ending in November, the total number of recipients was up by 78,000 (+16.1%), with increases across all major demographic groups. The largest percentage increases were among women aged 55 and older (+20.2%; +10,000), core-aged women (+19.4%; +23,000), and core-aged men (+14.9%; +29,000).
Statistics Canada said Ontario (+5,000; +2.8%) and Quebec (+3,500; +2.8%) were the only provinces to record notable increases in the number of recipients of regular EI benefits in November compared with the previous month. Within these provinces, the number of recipients of regular EI benefits increased in the Toronto (+2,300; +2.8%) and Montréal (+1,700; +3.1%) census metropolitan areas in November.
On a year-over-year basis, most provinces recorded increases in the number of recipients of regular benefits in November, most notably Alberta (+23.7%; +13,000), British Columbia (+21.5%; +10,000), Quebec (+20.4%; +22,000), and Ontario (+16.9%; +27,000), it said.
“In November, the number of recipients of regular EI benefits increased the most among those who last worked in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (+5,200; +2.9%). There were also notable increases among recipients who were last employed in natural and applied sciences and related occupations (+1,700; +3.8%), natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations (+1,600; +4.9%), as well as in manufacturing and utilities (+1,000; +2.5%),”added Statistics Canada.
“There was a decline, however, in the number of recipients who last worked in sales and service occupations (-1,000; -1.1%).
“In the 12 months ending in November, the number of beneficiaries receiving regular EI benefits was up across all major occupational groups. The largest year-over-year increases were among recipients who last worked in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (+17,000; +10.4%), followed by recipients last employed in business, finance and administration occupations (+14,000; +23.9%), and those who last worked in sales and service occupations (+14,000; +16.9%).”
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, 2025 and 2026.
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