Canadian unemployment benefits claims increased by nearly 10 percent in April during the peak of the so-called third wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, Statistics Canada said on Thursday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th June, 2021) Canadian unemployment benefits claims increased by nearly 10 percent in April during the peak of the so-called third wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, Statistics Canada said on Thursday.
"The number of Canadians receiving regular [Employment Insurance] EI benefits rose 9.8% (+144,000) to 1.6 million in April," Statistics Canada said in its monthly EI report.
The rise in unemployment benefits claims coincided with several provinces - most notably British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec - reintroducing strict lockdown measures to stem the surge of new COVID-19 cases. The rise in claims was, accordingly, led by Ontario and British Columbia, where the number of regular benefits recipients rose by 19.1 and 12.1 percent respectively.
Canada lost over 275,000 jobs in April and May due to the increased restrictions that sent the unemployment rate to 8.2 percent, according to Statistics Canada.
