Employment Insurance claims have nearly doubled in Grande Prairie. 1,640 people collected EI benefits in April, according to the most recent data from Statistics Canada. At this time last year, there were 880 claimants, although the numbers are adjusted to account for seasonal layoffs.
Across Alberta, 67,900 people received regular EI benefits last month, which is up 1.22 per cent from March. However, that represents a more than 52 per cent increase year-over-year.
The province’s unemployment rate reached a 30 year high in May at 7.8 per cent, which is the same as the rate for the economic region that houses Grande Prairie.