The number of Canadians receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits declined by 8,700 (-1.6%) to 542,000 in February. This follows a decline of 17,000 (-3.0%) in January. The declines in February and January were largely among people who last worked in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations. These two consecutive declines offset increases in the number of Canadians receiving regular benefits from June to December 2025, according to a recent Statistics Canada report.
Data from the Labour Force Survey indicate that the unemployment rate was 6.7% in February 2026. The unemployment rate trended up through most of 2025, reaching a recent high of 7.1% in August and September, said 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, it said.
In the 12 months ending in February, the total number of recipients was up by 41,000 (+8.1%), with increases across all major demographic groups. The year-over-year increases were larger among women (+22,000; +12.1%) than men (+18,000; +5.8%), added Statistics Canada.
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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