Biggest jump seen in West and Ontario
The number of people receiving employment insurance (EI) benefits in February increased by 44,300, or 7.8 per cent, from January, according to Statistics Canada
Since October, the number of beneficiaries has increased by 21.9 per cent to reach a total of 610,200.
In February, the sharpest gains were seen in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan.
In Alberta, the number of beneficiaries jumped by 27.3 per cent from January to February, reaching 30,600 and bringing the total increase since October 2008 to 67.9 per cent.
The number of beneficiaries in B.C. reached 63,700 after an 11.6-per-cent increase in February. The total increase since October 2008 was 39.8 per cent.
In Ontario, the 7.8-per-cent increase in February brought the number of EI beneficiaries to 198,900. Since October 2008, the number of beneficiaries has risen by 28.6 per cent.
From January to February, the number of beneficiaries in Saskatchewan rose 7.3 per cent to 10,000. Since October 2008, the number of beneficiaries has risen 17.6 per cent, slower than the national average of 21.9 per cent.
