The number of Canadians receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits climbed by 18,000 (3.4%) to 541,000 in June, compared to May, according to data Statistics Canada released Thursday.
Compared to June last year, the number of beneficiaries rose by 62,000 (12.8%). The unemployment rate was up half a percentage point to 6.9% since last June.
Over the first half of this year, the number of EI beneficiaries has trended upwards by 54,000 (11%).
The increase was highest among men aged 25 to 54 (7,100 more beneficiaries, a rise of 3.5%) and women aged 55 or above (6,500 more beneficiaries, a rise of 12.2%)
EI beneficiaries increased the most among those who were last employed in sales and service occupations (4,800 more beneficiaries, up 5.4%), marking the fifth consecutive monthly increase for this job category.
Geographically, the increase in the number of recipients with regular EI benefits in June was concentrated in Quebec (7,300 more beneficiaries, a rise of 6.1%) and Ontario (7,900 more beneficiaries, up 4.5%). Together, these two provinces accounted for 84.3% of the monthly national increase.