Number of Canadians Receiving Employment Insurance Declines in January

On Wednesday, Statistics Canada (StatCan) reported that the number of Canadians receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits declined 1.9%, or 11,000, to 555,000 in January.

Over the 12 months ending in January, the total number of EI recipients increased across nearly all major occupational groups. The largest year-over-year gains were among those last employed in sales and service occupations, up 15.1% (+12,000), and business, finance and administration occupations, which rose 19.2% (+12,000).

The unemployment rate was 6.5% in January. The rate trended higher through most of 2025, reaching 7.1% in August and September.

StatCan noted that changes in the number of regular EI beneficiaries can reflect shifts among new claimants, people returning to work, individuals exhausting benefits, or those leaving the program for other reasons.