The number of Canadians collecting regular employment insurance benefits grew by 65,300, or more than 10 per cent, in March, marking the biggest monthly increase since the job market began to deteriorate in October.
Statistics Canada said Tuesday that roughly 681,400 people were receiving regular EI benefits in March.
The biggest increases were seen in Alberta and British Columbia, where the month-over-month jumps were both above the national average.
The number of people on regular EI benefits in Alberta rose 32.1 per cent to 42,200 in March, marking the fastest monthly increase for the province on record.
In B.C., the province marked a similar milestone, with the number of people on EI rising by 26.7 per cent to 82,200.
While the number of people getting benefits climbed in March, the number of initial and renewal claims received that month edged down 1.9 per cent.
Economists point out that the employment insurance statistics only reflect those people actively engaged in the search for new work.
The Organization of Economic Co-Operation and Development estimated the number of discouraged workers in Canada at less than 20,000 in 2007.
The Paris-based think-tank defines discouraged employees as people who believe there is not any work available to be found.
Men and women who decide to return to school rather than spend time in what they believe will be a fruitless work search also count as absent from the workforce in some definitions.
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