The number of job insurance claims in July rose by 33.4% compared to the same period last year, new statistics have revealed.
307,600 new and renewal claims were made last month – up a whopping 26.1% from June – Statistics Canada said yesterday.
The dramatic increase is likely to be reflective of recent changes to Canada’s employment insurance program which came into effect in July, the data agency cautioned.
The program changes affected 15 regions including Newfoundland and Labrador, Northern Ontario, and large areas of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
The claims made in July, which are an indication of the number of people who could begin receiving unemployment benefits, included around 87,000 one-time automatic renewals related to the altered programs, which account for almost one-quarter of the total volume of claims.
The number of people receiving regular jobless benefits increased to 575,200 in July, a 4.4% increase month-over-month – another reflection of the legislative changes to the benefits program.
Initial claims were less affected by the program changes, Statistics Canada said.
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