The number of local individuals receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits in January was up 6.5% over 2023.
In the Belleville Census Metropolitan Area which includes Belleville, Quinte West, Stirling-Rawdon, and Tyendinaga/Deseronto, 1,140 people received EI in January, up from 1,070 in the same month last year.
The month-over-month increase was only 0.9% over the same period in the Belleville CMA (1,130 recipients in December).
Nationally, the number rose 18% year-over-year with 468,000 Canadians receiving EI benefits in January, an increase of 71,000 people.
Month-to-month changes were minimal with just a 0.3% national increase from December 2023 to January 2024 (+1,600 people).
