Number of EI recipients goes up

More people in the Oshawa area were receiving unemployment benefits in June than the month before.

According to new numbers from Statistics Canada, 6,770 people in the Oshawa census metropolitan area – which also includes Whitby and Clarington – were on EI in June, compared to 6,640 the month before.

This also marks an increase over the same time last year, with 6,450 people on benefits in June 2015.

Across the country, the numbers remained largely unchanged, with 545,900 people on EI. This is also a 1.5-per-cent increase over the same time last year, with 8,000 additional people claiming benefits.

The largest increases in June were seen in Prince Edward Island, up 6.5 per cent; New Brunswick, up 5.5 per cent; and Nova Scotia, up 1.0 per cent. The largest decreases were seen in British Columbia, down 2.1 per cent; and Manitoba, down 1.3 per cent. The remaining provinces and territories saw little change.