By the Numbers: EI benefits pointing to long-term unemployment concerns

Toronto – July 29, 2021 – The latest data from Statistics Canada points to concerns surrounding long-term unemployment with many industries still struggling in the pandemic fallout.

In-person service industries such as accommodation, food services, retail and recreation accounted for 41.8% of all regular EI recipients.

As case numbers steadily decline across the country and the Canadian public begin to flock to in-person experiences the economy looks to make-up some of the 664,000 jobs lost in this industry due to pandemic restrictions.

Women continue to bear the brunt of pandemic job losses with employment falling by 54,000 in May of this year and 88,000 more women receiving regular EI benefits.

Perhaps the most troubling news on the jobs front is the number of long-term unemployed Canadians continues to rise. Almost 28.9% of all unemployed in May had been out of work for 27 weeks or more, compared to just 15.6% in February 2020.

With so many Canadians depending on the EI system to weather the pandemic, ensuring fair and equitable distribution of benefits is more important than ever. To show your support for an expanded EI system, click here.