Canada

1.Series

Title:

Unemployment Benefits Claimants.

Starting year:

1975.

2.Agency making the initial registrations of Unemployment benefits claimants

Name of the agency:

Unemployment benefits claimants are registered under the Employment Insurance (EI) Program.

Note:

Job-seekers and unemployed persons in Canada are not systematically registered unless they become unemployment benefits claimants under the EI Program. This is an insurance scheme that covers all workers working for an employer under a contract of service; self-employed persons, except in the fishing industry, are not covered.

Type of agency:

Public service under national and provincial authorities.

Name of the national authority:

Canada Employment Insurance Commission, administered by Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC). Employment benefits and support measures are administered in cooperation with the provinces and territories.

Location of the local offices making the registrations:

There are over 300 points of service across the country. Unemployed workers can also apply on-line via the Internet.

Type of services provided/administered by the agency:

  • Assisting job-seekers to find jobs;
  • Assisting job-seekers to establish their own business;
  • Assisting employers to find workers;
  • Vocational guidance;
  • Paying unemployment compensation;
  • Other: electronic Labour Exchange (a free on-line service that connects workers and employers); on-line listing of job postings in the public and private sectors (www.jobs.gc.ca); labour Market Information Website (www.labourmarketinformation.ca); interprovincial Standards "Red Seal" Program (which permits qualified trades people to practise their trade in any province or territory without additional examinations); "Jobs Etc.", a one-stop access point for information on jobs, training, careers and workplace issues; "Job Futures", a long-term occupational outlook for 211 employment groups as classified by the National Occupational Classification (NOC); "Minding your own business", "Catching the wave" and "Venturing out", three programmes designed to help people (including youth) who want to start their own businesses.

    3.The following information is registered about a person:

  • Name;
  • Sex;
  • Social security number (or similar identification number also used by other agencies);
  • Address of usual residence;
  • Date of birth;
  • Educational/attainment. No links to ISCED have been established;
  • Current/past activity status, with two categories distinguished;
  • Type of work (occupation) of past or present job. No links to ISCO-88 have been established;
  • Type of work (occupation) of job sought. No links to ISCO-88 have been established;
  • Name and address of present or previous employer or work place;
  • Type of business (industry) of present/previous employer/workplace. No links to ISIC, rev.3 have been established;
  • Previous registrations with the agency/service;
  • Other: pension status; preferred language (English or French); type of income being received; maternity status; whether in jail, in training, able to work, or prevented from working due to a labour dispute.

    4.Criteria* used for inclusion (registration) of a person under the Employment Insurance Program (R) and/or the statistics of Unemployment Benefits Claimants (S):

  • Being without work (R) and (S);
  • Availability for work (R) and (S);
  • Previously employed (R) and (S);
  • Previous payment of unemployed insurance contributions (between 410 and 910 hours in previous 52 weeks) (R) and (S).

    * The above criteria apply only to persons claiming regular EI benefits (not to those seeking sickness, maternity and parental benefits).

    5.Criteria* used for exclusion (termination of registration) of a person from the Employment Insurance Program (R) and/or the statistics of Unemployment Benefits Claimants (S):

  • Death (R) and (S);
  • Taking up residency abroad (with the exception of exchange of benefits with the US) (R) and (S);
  • Commencement of a (new) full-time job (R) and (S);
  • Commencement of full-time military service (R) and (S);
  • Participation in a full-time employment promotion scheme, public works programme, etc. (R) and (S);
  • Full-time studying or undergoing full-time training (except when sent on training by EI) (R) and (S);
  • Failure to contact the agency/service without good cause (R) and (S);
  • Refusal of suitable job offers without good cause (R) and (S);
  • End of entitlement to receive unemployment compensation (R) and (S);
  • Receipt of a pension above a certain amount (R) and (S);
  • Inability to work (may be entitled to sickness benefits after four weeks of being unable to work) (R) and (S);
  • Other: in jail (R) and (S); not available for work (R) and (S); quitting job or taking a leave of absence without just cause or being fired or suspended for misconduct (R) and (S); temporarily outside Canada (with certain exceptions) (R) and (S); prevented from working due to labour disputes (R) and (S); receipt of earnings from employment or related to employment such as workers’ compensation, beyond a certain amount (R) and (S).

    * The above criteria apply only to persons claiming regular EI benefits (not to those seeking sickness, maternity and parental benefits).

    6.Definition of unemployed persons claiming unemployment benefits used for the statistics

    A person claiming regular benefits (i.e. entitled to receive regular benefits) is a person who is out of work, is able and willing to work, and has sufficient work attachment in the last year to establish a claim.

    7.Updating of the registrations

    The registrations are updated daily.

    8.Unemployment rates

    Statistics from the registrations are not used to obtain unemployment rates.

    9.Type of statistics of unemployment benefit claimants produced

    Series 1:

    Employment Insurance Claims.

    Reference period:

    Summation for a month.

    Frequency of production:

    Monthly.

    Descriptive variables used:

  • Sex;
  • Age;
  • Geographic characteristics;
  • Previous work experience (insured hours and weeks);
  • Duration of unemployment.

    Form of publication:

  • For internal use only;
  • Machine-readable form, on request (last five years).

    Agency responsible for publication:

    Human Resources Development Canada.

    Title of the publication:

    SM70
  • Initial and renewal claims established.

    Series 2:

    Employment Insurance Beneficiaries.

    Reference period:

    Point estimate (15th day of a month).

    Frequency of production:

    Monthly.

    Descriptive variables used:

  • Sex;
  • Age;
  • Geographic characteristics;
  • Previous work experience;
  • Duration of unemployment.

    Form of publication:

    Machine-readable form, on request (last five years).

    Agency responsible for publication:

    Human Resources Development Canada and Statistics Canada.

    Publication:

    The information is available (in English and French) in the CANSIM data base.

    Series 3:

    Employment Insurance Benefit Payments.

    Reference period:

    Day.

    Frequency of production:

    Daily.

    Form of publication:

  • For internal use only;
  • Machine-readable form, on request.

    Agency responsible for publication:

    Human Resources Development Canada.

    Title of the publication:

    Workload Report.

    10.Methodological information about the statistics

    Form of release:

    Not released, available for internal use only.

    Agency responsible for the release:

    Human Resources Development Canada (Financial Research).

    11.Comparisons with unemployment statistics from other sources

    Comparisons have not been made with unemployment statistics from other sources.

    12.Major changes since the start of the statistics

    Major changes in legislation (i.e. to the Unemployment Insurance Act and the Employment Insurance Act) which had a significant influence on the statistics took place in 1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2000 and 2001 [Bills C-21; C-113; C-17; C-12, EI Reform; C32 and C-2 respectively].