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Volume of Employment Insurance beneficiaries continues to plummet in BC

The number of people collecting extra money from Ottawa’s Employment Insurance program in BC is sinking faster than the Titanic.

When compared to November of 2016, over 47,000 people collected benefits across the province – a decline of over 16%.

The drop was the second fastest decline among all the provinces.

Prince George enjoyed a similar fate with a decline of over 18% in the past year.

The sharp declines can be pinned to a policy change.

“Part of the reason on why we are seeing these larger declines is because in July of 2016 there were policy changes that were introduced to the Employment Insurance program and in the latter half of that year the number of beneficiaries was unusually high,” says Marton Lovei, Statistics Canada Analyst.

In Canada, just under 507,000 people are on EI – a decline of less than one percent from November of 2016.

“Across the country was an increase in the number of beneficiaries in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, Alberta and Nova Scotia, but those increases were offset with declines in Ontario and Quebec.”

Over the past 12 months, BC’s unemployment rate has dipped from 6.1% to 4.8% – the lowest in Canada.

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Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].

Brendan Pawliw
Brendan Pawliw
Since moving to Prince George in 2015, Brendan has covered local sports including the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, Prince George Spruce Kings, UNBC Timberwolves, Cariboo Cougars AAA, and Northern Capitals U18 female hockey teams. Career highlights include play-by-play during the Spruce Kings' BCHL championship runs in 2018 and 2019, including the Doyle Cup win. He also covered the 2019 National Junior A Championship, the 2017 Telus Cup, the 2022 World Women’s Curling Championship, and the 2022 BC Summer Games. Brendan is the news voice on 94.3 The Goat and Country 97 FM, reporting on crime, real estate, labour, and environmental issues. Outside of work, he officiates box lacrosse and fastball, sits on the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame board, and co-hosts the Hockey North podcast.

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