Prince Rupert has had one of the biggest drops in EI recipients in all of British Columbia, according to an analysis released by Statistics Canada on Thursday.
According to the statistics, in November of 2009 Prince Rupert had 600 people receiving EI benefits, by November 2010 it was down to 420; a drop of 30 per cent in a single year.
This is the fourth largest drop in EI recipients in the entire province. It’s worth noting that many of the communities with the five largest drops in EI recipients between November 2009 and November 2010 are from the north. Prince George had a drop of 25 per cent, Dawson Creek matched Prince Rupert at 30 per cent, Cranbrook dropped by 32.1 per cent, Port Alberni by 35 per cent and Fort St. John had the largest drop in B.C. with 40 per cent.
There are few reasons why someone would stop receiving EI benefits, such as finding employment or having their benefits expire. In their analysis, Statistics Canada points out that a drop in EI recipients should not be confused with a drop in the rate of unemployment.