New statistics continue to underscore the strength of the local and provincial job market.
The number of individuals receiving Employment Insurance (EI) in the Victoria Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) dropped by 2.8 per cent to 2,050 in April 2019 from March 2019, according to Statistics Canada. Year-to-year, the rate is up 1.5 per cent.
Looking at the broader picture, the number of provincial EI recipients dropped by 2.2 per cent with Kelowna’s CMA recording the biggest drop with 7.7 per cent, likely a reflection of the fact that the region has a strong summer economy.
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EI claims also dropped in the Abbotsford-Mission CMA (down 2.7 per cent), while Vancouver’s CMA recorded an increase of 1.7 per cent. The number of EI recipients also dropped by 4.1 per cent in the second tier of provincial communities and 4.4 per cent in the rural areas.
Looking across Canada, the number of beneficiaries decreased in seven provinces, most notably in Saskatchewan (down 2.9 per cent), Alberta (down 2.8 per cent) and Manitoba (2.6 per cent). EI claims, however, rose in Atlantic Canada with two out of three provinces — Nova Scotia (4.2 per cent) and New Brunswick (1.1 per cent) — recording higher claims. Newfoundland and Labrador bucked this trend with a drop of 1.8 per cent. Quebec, which has been suffering from a labour shortage for some time, recorded a small increase of 0.8 per cent.
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