More than 31,000 new jobless in Alberta as EI rolls climb to 544,200
There have been several rounds of layoffs in the oilpatch since 2014, with trades, transport, technical support, finance and management affected. (Todd Korol/Reuters)
The number of Canadians receiving employment insurance benefits rose 9.2 per cent in the year ending in November 2015, according to new data from Statistics Canada, with most of the newly unemployed in Alberta.
There were sharp increases in new applicants from Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba, bringing the total receiving EI to 544,200 people. The unemployment rate in Canada last November was 7.1 per cent.
- Fort McMurray’s workers desperate to find jobs during economic slump
- Alberta has lost 35,000 oilpatch jobs, petroleum producers say
About two-thirds of the increase in the past year has been in Alberta, with 31,030 people applying for benefits in the year to November.
The pain has been spread equally between Edmonton and Calgary, with just over 20,000 new people on the EI rolls in each city.
Alberta has suffered several rounds of layoffs related to the low price of oil, with companies cutting back first contract workers, then long-time employees as the world market price fails to cover the cost of crude production.
Job losses in Saskatchewan, Manitoba
There’s been a 16 per cent increase among workers in trades and transport or equipment operation and a 17 per cent increase in natural and applied sciences, a term Statistics Canada uses to apply to more skilled workers including geologists and mine technicians.
Alberta has also seen job losses in finance, administration and management categories.
Statistics Canada says the number of new claimants has levelled off in the past few months.
Despite that, Saskatchewan saw a 4.6 per cent rise in claimants in November, Alberta was up 2.7 per cent and Manitoba was up 1.9 per cent.
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