Employment Insurance Monitoring and Assessment Report for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2016 and ending March 31, 2017 Chapter II - 6. Employment Insurance special benefits

Employment Insurance special benefits and firms

According to 2015 tax data^{Footnote 98}—the most recent microdata available when writing this report—there were just over 190,400 firms^{Footnote 99} (15.9% of all firms in 2015) associated with the establishment of an EI special benefit claim as a claimant’s current or most recent employer (see Table 45). This is a slight increase of 0.8% from the previous year.

The distribution of the workforce and EI special benefit claimants is roughly similar by size of employer, unlike EI regular benefits for which larger firms are under-represented (see section 2.2 Employment Insurance regular benefits). In the case of special benefits, the largest difference between employee and claimant distributions was observed in small-sized firms (1 to 19 employees), but only at a difference of 3.1 percentage points. In regards to large firms (500 employees or more), the share of EI special benefit claimants (42.3%) was very similar to the presence of their employees in the workforce (43.1%). In contrast, the share of regular benefit claims established by their employees was less (32.0%). Whereas workforce adjustment issues during a difficult business or economic context may offer some explanation of the higher relative use of EI regular benefits among small firms, the use of EI special benefits more likely relates to the demographic profile of the workforce, individual circumstances, and the nature of the work in the industry.

Employment Insurance maternity and parental benefits: coverage and accessibility

According to the 2016 Employment Insurance Coverage Survey (EICS), 209,800 recent mothers (those with a child aged 12 months or less) living outside Quebec had insurable employment in 2016, which represents 72.0% of all recent mothers.

Among those 209,800 recent mothers, 88.8% reported having received maternity or parental benefits in 2016, which represents an increase of 5.8 percentage points from the previous year (83.0%) and the second-highest share since the year 2000 when the survey began collecting data (see Chart 36).

Show data table

	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Share of recent mothers (%)	74.2%	79.4%	86.0%	87.8%	87.7%	85.0%	81.0%	81.8%	85.8%	85.4%	84.9%	85.1%	85.4%	89.3%	86.1%	83.0%	88.8%

• Source: Statistics Canada, Employment Insurance Coverage Survey, 2000 to 2016

According to EICS data, the proportion of spouses of recent mothers living outside Quebec who received or intended to claim EI parental benefits increased to 12.9% in 2016 compared to 11.9% in 2015. In Quebec, a larger share of recent fathers received parental benefits or intended to receive them (80.1%), which may be largely due to the paternity benefit paid specifically to fathers as part of QPIP.

Employment Insurance maternity claims, amount paid and level of benefits

The total number of new maternity claims established dropped by 2.4% over the previous year to nearly 170,300 in FY1617 (see Table 46). The number of maternity claims fell in almost all provinces and territories, except in Nunavut (+10.0%) and British Columbia (+0.2%) where the number of new claims stayed virtually the same.

Women between 25 and 39 years old established 87.3% of new maternity claims while women aged 24 years old and younger represented 9.1% of new claims. While the number of new claims established by mothers aged 24 years old and under and by mothers between 25 and 39 years old dropped compared to the previous year, the number for mothers aged 40 years and older reported an increase.

Despite the observed decrease in the number of maternity claims established, the amount paid in EI maternity benefits increased by 2.4% from the previous year to $1.1 billion in FY1617. All provinces and territories, except Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Manitoba, recorded greater amounts paid compared to the previous year.

Women between 25 and 39 years old received 89.5% of the total amount paid in maternity benefits, while women aged 24 years old and younger and those aged 40 years and older received 6.8% and 3.7% of the total amount paid, respectively.

Maternity benefits are frequently combined in the same claim with other types of benefits, particularly parental and sickness benefits, with 98.4% of all EI maternity claims completed during the reporting fiscal year including some other type of EI benefits (see subsection 2.1.2 Combined Employment Insurance claims).

The average weekly maternity benefit rate increased by 2.3% to $447. A little less than half (49.4%) of claimants received the maximum weekly benefit rate. On average, the highest weekly maternity benefit rate was for claims established in the Northwest Territories ($499) and the Yukon ($493), and by mothers aged 40 years old and over ($475).

Employment Insurance parental benefits, amount paid and level of benefits

Over FY1617, almost 196,000 new EI parental claims were established, which represented a slight dip of 0.4% from the previous year (see Table 47). Less than 1.0% of these parental claims came from adoptive parents (about 1,800). The number of new claims dropped in almost all provinces and territories, except Ontario and British Columbia.

Although women established the vast majority of parental claims (85.0%), their number fell by 2.1% compared to the previous year. Conversely, the number of parental claims established by men grew 10.5%.

As in the past, individuals aged between 25 and 39 years old established the largest share of new parental claims (86.1%), while those aged 24 years old and younger and 40 years and older represented 8.1% and 5.8% of new claims respectively.

The total amount paid in parental benefits jumped by 2.3% compared to the previous year, totaling $2.7 billion for the reporting period. At the provincial and territorial levels, only Prince Edward Island and Nunavut observed a decrease in their respective amounts paid in parental benefits.

As with new claims, the majority of the total amount of parental benefits was paid to women (91.4%). Men and women experienced an annual increase in their total amount paid in parental benefits—by 9.5% and 1.7%, respectively. Claimants aged between 25 and 39 years old received the greatest share of paid benefits (88.3%), while claimants aged 24 years old and under and those aged 40 years old and over received 6.6% and 5.1% of the total amount paid respectively.

The average weekly parental benefit rate reached $457, a 2.4% increase in comparison to the previous year. More than half (53.3%) of claimants received the maximum weekly benefit rate. On average, the weekly benefit rate was higher for claims established in the Northwest Territories ($513), by men ($503) and by claimants aged 40 years old and over ($489).

Duration^{Footnote 103} of Employment Insurance maternity and parental benefits

As observed during previous fiscal years, claimants used almost all of the EI maternity and parental weeks to which they were entitled. For the vast majority (91.5%) of maternity claims completed over FY1617, mothers received benefits during the 15 weeks available to them. The average duration of completed maternity claims remained at 14.6 weeks.

In the case of parental claims, eligible parents can choose to share the 35 weeks of benefits available. Statistics on parental claims completed during the reporting period show that when weeks of benefits were shared, women received an average of 22.8 weeks, whereas men received 10.3 weeks (see Chart 37). The average duration of parental claims on a family basis was 33.1 weeks for parents who decided to share the benefits. For parents who did not share the available weeks of benefits, the average duration of parental benefits was 32.9 weeks for claims that were completed in FY1617.

Show data table

	2016/2017
Men (shared)	10.3
Women (shared)	22.8
Men (non-shared)	26.8
Women (non-shared)	33.3

• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Data are based on a 10% sample of EI administrative data.

Based on completed claims, the combined number of weeks of EI maternity and parental benefits used by families was an average of 47.6 weeks on a family basis or 95.2% of the 50 weeks of maternity and parental benefits to which they were entitled (See Table 48). Of these 47.6 weeks, 33.0 were paid in parental benefits and 14.6 were paid in maternity benefits.

Low-income claimants receiving the Family Supplement collected an average of 47.7 weeks of maternity and parental benefits for completed claims over the reporting fiscal year. These claimants received an average of 33.0 weeks of parental benefits and 14.7 weeks of maternity benefits (See subsection 2.1.1 for more information on the Family Supplement).

Employment Insurance sickness claims, amount paid and level of benefits

Over FY1617, there were 378,700 new sickness claims established, which represented a 3.6% hike over the previous year and the fourth consecutive annual increase. The number of sickness claims established went up in British Columbia and provinces in central and eastern Canada, except Newfoundland and Labrador, while the number of claims decreased in the Prairies and in the Northwest Territories (see Table 49).

A larger share of new EI sickness claims were established by women (56.7%) than men (43.3%). However, both men and women recorded annual increases in the number of sickness claims of +2.0% and +4.8%, respectively.

By age, claimants aged 55 years old and over established 27.2% of new sickness claims, which is a bit higher than their representation in the Canadian labour force in FY1617 (20.6%).^{Footnote 104} Claimants aged 24 years old and under represented 7.6% of established sickness claims while they formed 14.3% of the labour force in Canada (see Chart 38). In comparison to the year before, claimants of all age groups experienced a boost in the number of claims, but the biggest hike was observed among claimants aged 55 years old and over.

Show data table

	Share of sickness claims established	Share of amount paid in sickness benefits	Share in the labour force
24 years old and under	7.6%	5.8%	14.3%
25 to 44 years old	41.3%	40.5%	43.1%
45 to 54 years old	23.9%	25.3%	22.0%
55 years old and over	27.2%	28.3%	20.6%

• Note: Includes claims for which at least $1 of EI sickness benefits was paid.
• Sources: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Data are based on a 10% sample of EI administrative data. Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, CANSIM table 282-0001.

The total amount paid in sickness benefits went up 7.7% compared to the previous year to $1.6 billion during the reporting period. The majority of provinces and territories, with the exception of Manitoba and the Northwest Territories, recorded an increase in their total amount paid in sickness benefits (see Table 49).

While women received a slighter larger share of the amount paid in sickness benefits than men, 52.4% compared to 47.6%, men experienced a bigger annual increase in the amount received than women, +8.9% versus +6.5%.

As with new claims, claimants aged 55 years and older received a larger share of the total amount of payments for sickness benefits (28.3%) than their weight in the labour force (20.6%), while claimants aged 24 years old and younger received a smaller share (5.8%) compared to their presence in labour force (14.3%) (see Chart 38). All age groups reported a hike in the total amount of sickness benefits received compared to the previous year.

By industry, the goods-producing industries were overrepresented among EI sickness claims and total benefits paid as they accounted for 25.6% of new EI sickness claims and 27.8% of sickness benefits paid while they represented 21.1% of workers (see Table 50). In contrast, workers from the services-producing industries were underrepresented among EI sickness claims and EI sickness benefits paid, with some exceptions at the industry-level (for example, Business, building and other support services).

The average weekly sickness benefit rate was $417, a 1.8% increase compared to the previous year. Almost a third (33.1%) of claimants received the maximum weekly benefit rate, which represented a decrease of 1.3 percentage points compared to the previous year. On average, the highest weekly sickness benefit rate was paid for claims established in the Northwest Territories ($517), by men ($455), and by claimants aged between 45 and 54 years old ($428).

Duration^{Footnote 105} of Employment Insurance sickness benefits

A maximum of 15 weeks of EI sickness benefits may be paid to qualified individuals because of illness, injury or quarantine, though this number could be less depending on their physician’s recommendation.

The actual average duration of sickness benefits completed during the reporting period was 9.8 weeks. On average, men and women received 9.5 and 10.1 weeks of sickness benefits respectively for completed claims.

As in previous years, the average number of weeks of sickness benefits paid increased with the age of claimants. In fact, claimants aged 24 years old and younger experienced, on average, the shortest duration (8.9 weeks of benefits), while claimants aged 55 years and older registered, on average, the longest duration (10.5 weeks of benefits) among completed EI sickness claims.

A little more than a third (35.7%) of completed sickness claims had used the maximum number of 15 weeks of sickness benefits^{Footnote 106}, which is a similar proportion as the year before (see Table 51). Women (37.3%) were more likely to use the maximum number of weeks than men (33.7%).

As observed for the average duration of benefits, the use of all 15 weeks of benefits available also appears to be correlated with the age of claimants. In total, the share of completed sickness claims that used all 15 eligible weeks was 27.7% for claimants aged 24 years old and younger, and climbed to 42.0% for claimants aged 55 years and older (see Table 51).

Compassionate care recipients

Family members for whom claimants can claim EI compassionate care benefits include, but are not limited to, the following individuals: spouse, including common-law partner; child or child of the claimant’s spouse; parent or the spouse of the claimant’s parent; other family members (such as siblings, step-siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and in-laws); and any other individual considered as a close relative, whether or not he or she is related by blood, adoption, marriage or common-law partnership.

A supplemental study^{Footnote 111} using data on compassionate care applicants during FY1516 showed that 58.1% of people filed a claim to take care of a parent, 27.5% a common-law partner or spouse, 4.3% a brother or sister, 3.5% a child, and 6.6% another type of recipient. According to the same study, the number of compassionate care claims increased with the care recipient’s age. In 16.9% of cases, applicants who filed a claim did so to take care of a recipient aged between 18 and 54 years old, while in 34.8% of cases, applicants wanted to take care of a recipient aged 75 years and older.

Employment Insurance compassionate care claims, amount paid and level of benefits

The total number of new claims established for EI compassionate care benefits grew by 29.5% compared with the previous year, to 10,200 in FY1617. This is the second consecutive substantial annual increase as the number of claims went up by 26.1% the year before (see Chart 39). This is in part due to the increase in maximum entitlement, which went from 6 to 26 weeks in January 2016. This increase might make periods of interrupted employment for caregiving responsibilities less of a financial burden than the shorter entitlement of six weeks.

Show data table

	2010/2011	2011/2012	2012/2013	2013/2014	2014/2015	2015/2016	2016/2017
Compassionate care claims (left scale)	6,027	5,975	6,102	5,981 r	6,244	7,871	10,193
Amount paid (right scale) ($ millions)	$11.0	$11.0	$11.6	$12.0	$12.5	$18.3	$54.1

• Note: Includes claims for which at least $1 of EI compassionate care benefits was paid.
• ^r Revised data.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Data are based on a 100% sample of EI administrative data.

The number of new compassionate care claims went up in all regions with the largest percentage changes having been registered in the Territories (+75.0%) and Nova Scotia (+51.0) (see Table 52).

As in the past, women established the majority of compassionate care claims (72.4%). There was an annual increase in new claims of 24.4% for men and 31.5% for women.

By age group, individuals aged between 25 and 44 years old had established a smaller share of compassionate care claims (32.0%) than their relative weight in the Canadian labour force^{Footnote 112} (43.1%). Conversely, people aged between 45 and 54 years old and those aged 55 years and older had established a larger share of claims for compassionate care benefits (34.0% and 32.3% respectively) than their presence in the Canadian labour force (22.0% and 20.6% respectively).

The total amount paid in compassionate care benefits almost tripled compared to the previous fiscal year, registering a growth of 195.4% to $54.1 million for the reporting period. This hike is partly due to the increased number of new claims established for compassionate care benefits and the extended maximum duration, effective since January 3, 2016, of benefits payable and of the benefit period within which benefits can be received. Therefore, the new compassionate care claims established during the reporting fiscal year were eligible to receive a higher maximum number of weeks of benefits than most claims established during the previous fiscal year (FY1516). Moreover, the FY1516 claims established on or after January 3, 2016, as well as those established before January 3, 2016, with an open benefit window when the extension was implemented, could have also received a higher number of weeks of compassionate care benefits and a longer benefit period, and consequently could have been extended in the reporting fiscal year.

The amounts paid in compassionate care benefits went up in all regions. The majority of the total amount of compassionate care benefits was paid to women (68.9%). Men and women experienced an annual increase in their amounts received for compassionate care benefits, +186.1% and +199.8% respectively.

As with new claims, claimants aged between 25 and 44 years old received a smaller share of the amounts paid in compassionate care benefits than their demographic weight in the Canadian labour force: 31.4% of all benefits paid versus 43.1% of the labour force. Conversely, claimants aged between 45 and 54 years old and those aged 55 years old and over received 34.1% and 33.1% of the total amount of payments for compassionate care benefits, while they represent 22.0% and 20.6% of the labour force respectively. All age groups recorded a hike in the amounts received compared to the previous year.

The average weekly benefit rate for compassionate care benefits grew by 2.4% to $444. A little less than half (43.6%) of claimants received the maximum weekly benefit rate. On average, the highest weekly benefit rate for compassionate care benefits was paid for claims established in the Territories ($498), by men ($478), and by claimants aged between 25 and 44 years old ($457).

There were around 650 claims established during the reporting period for which the weeks of benefits were shared among qualifying family members, which represented 6.4% claims. This is an increase compared to the previous year, when 3.7% of claims were shared between family members.

Duration^{Footnote 113} of Employment Insurance compassionate care benefits

Since January 3, 2016, the number of weeks of compassionate care benefits that may be paid to qualified claimants was raised to 26 weeks per claim. This represents a sizeable increase from the previous six weeks of entitlement. The weeks of benefits can be shared with other family members if they are also entitled to these benefits.

The average duration of EI compassionate care claims completed during FY1617 was 9.7 weeks. This is an increase of 4.9 weeks in comparison to the previous year, which can be attributed to the growth in the maximum number of weeks of compassionate care benefits available since January 3, 2016 (see Table 53). The average duration of compassionate care claims completed during FY1516 remained similar to those of previous fiscal years even if several claims established at the end of the period could have received six weeks or more of benefits. This is explained by the methodological change in calculating statistics on duration, which is now based on completed claims. Several claims established during FY1516 entitled to up to 26 weeks of benefits were extended and completed over the next fiscal year and are therefore not included in the calculation of the duration of completed claims over FY1516.

Men and women received, on average, a similar number of weeks of compassionate care benefits for claims completed during FY1617 (about 9.7 weeks). Claimants aged 24 years old and under, between 25 and 44 years old, and between 45 and 54 years old received, on average, close to 9.4 weeks of compassionate care benefits for completed claims, while claimants aged 55 years and over received an average of 10.4 weeks.

Among completed compassionate care claims, 64.0% used six weeks of benefits or more. This proportion, which is slightly higher than those recorded over previous years (see Table 53), appears to show that despite an increase in the maximum number of weeks of compassionate care benefits available, a large share of claims did not receive any extra available weeks, which may in part be due to the death of a care recipient. In total, 13.4% of completed compassionate care claims received the maximum number of 26 weeks of benefits.

A recent study^{Footnote 114} updating research results on the use and duration of compassionate care benefits confirmed that the death of a care recipient is one of the main reasons for not receiving or claiming the maximum number of weeks of benefits. Moreover, claimants who took care of their spouse or lived with the care recipient are most likely to use the entire benefit entitlement.

A similar proportion of men and women used six weeks or more of compassionate care benefits among the claims completed during the reporting fiscal year. However, claimants aged 55 years and over were more likely to receive six weeks or more of compassionate care benefits (68.2%) than claimants aged 24 years old and under (56.4%).

Employment Insurance Parents of Critically Ill Children claims, amount paid, and level of benefits

Over FY1617, there were close to 4,200 new PCIC claims established, which represented a 12.6% increase compared to the previous year (see Chart 40). More PCIC claims were established by women (80.6%) than men (19.4%). Yet, men and women alike recorded an annual increase in the number of new claims, +8.9% and +13.5% respectively (see Table 54).

By age, claimants aged between 25 and 44 years old established the largest share of new PCIC claims (88.8%), while those aged 24 years old and under and those aged 45 years old and over represented 5.3% and 5.9% of new claims respectively.

Show data table

	2013/2014	2014/2015	2015/2016	2016/2017
PCIC claims established (left scale)	1,630	2,846	3,740 r	4,211
Amount paid (right scale) ($ millions)	$8.9	$18.9	$23.8 r	$26.5

• Note: Includes claims for which at least $1 of EI PCIC benefits was paid.
• ^r Revised data.
• Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data. Data are based on a 100% sample of EI administrative data.

The amount paid in PCIC benefits reached $26.5 million during the reporting period, which is an increase of 11.3% compared to the previous fiscal year. As with established claims, women received most of the benefits paid (80.1%), while by age, claimants aged between 25 and 44 years old received the majority of benefits paid for this type of benefit (87.9%).

For the reporting fiscal year, the average weekly PCIC benefit rate was $447, which represents a growth of 1.5% compared to the previous year. On average, the highest weekly PCIC benefit rate was paid for claims established by men ($481) and for claimants aged 55 years and older ($455).

Employment Insurance special benefits for self-employed persons, claims, amount paid and level of benefits

A total of 749 special benefit claims were established by self-employed persons in FY1617, a 3.6% increase compared with the previous fiscal year and the same number of claims recorded as two years ago. The benefit types most frequently received by self-employed EI claimants were maternity benefits and parental benefits (see Table 56).

Ontario is the region that established the largest number of claims. However, unlike other regions and Canada as a whole, it experienced a slight dip in the number of claims relative to the previous fiscal year ( 0.9%). Quebec’s under-representation in terms of new claims established (3.2%) reflects the fact that the province offers maternity, parental, adoption, and paternity benefits outside the EI program with mandatory participation of self-employed persons (see 2.6.2 Employment Insurance maternity and parental benefits).

As in the past, women made up the vast majority (96.7%) of new claims established for self-employed persons. By age, claimants between 30 and 39 years old accounted for the largest share of new claims (69.7%). Claimants in this age group as well as those aged 40 years old and over reported an annual increase in the number of new claims, +6.7% and +5.0% respectively, while claimants aged 29 years old and under recorded a decrease of 7.1% compared to the previous fiscal year.

The total amount paid in EI special benefits to self-employed persons reached $7.7 million for the reporting period. This 1.9% decrease compared to last year is due to the reduction of payments in parental benefits. These benefits represented 61.2% of the total special benefits received by self-employed persons, while maternity benefits accounted for 32.1% (see Table 56).

There were large regional differences in terms of annual changes in amounts received in special benefits for self-employed persons. The Atlantic provinces, Quebec, and the Prairies recorded an increase in their respective amount paid, while Ontario, British Columbia and the Territories saw a drop.

As observed with claims, women received the largest share of the total special benefits paid to self-employed persons. Men and women saw an annual decrease in their total amount received in benefits, -13.3% and -1.6% respectively.

Even though persons aged between 30 and 39 years old received the largest proportion of special benefit payments for self-employed persons, they recorded an annual decrease of 9.6% in benefits paid. Persons aged 29 years old and under and those aged 40 years old and over each posted an increase in benefits paid (+17.0% and +39.8% respectively).

The average weekly benefit rate^{Footnote 121} for special benefits paid to self-employed persons increased by 2.0% to $335 per claim. On average, the highest weekly benefit rate was for claims established in British Columbia and the Territories ($380), by women ($335), and by claimants aged between 30 and 39 years old ($354).