Prince George saw a year-over-year decline of 25.5-per-cent in the number of people collecting Employment Insurance (EI) as of July, according to figures released this week by Statistics Canada.
As of July 2011, there were 2,510 people collecting EI, compared to 3,380 the year before.
Initiatives Prince George analyst Tara Bogh said the trend reflects the increase in employment in Prince George throughout 2011.
"What I would say is the reduction is likely specific to claimants who were on EI and were looking for work and then now able to find it," Bogh said. "We're seeing a reduction in EI because we're seeing an increase month-by-month in the level of employment within the city."
From July 2010 to July 2011, the city's unemployment rate improved to 6.6 per cent from 8.7 per cent and the number holding down jobs rose to 49,600 from 48,100.
As of August, the unemployment rate was 7.4 per cent, but the number of people working stood at an unprecedented 50,000 according to the Statistics Canada figures, which are based on a three-month rolling average.
"There are always going to be a number of persons on Employment Insurance due to a mismatch in skills between what they've got and what the available jobs are, and people on disability or medical leave from their work are always on EI," Bogh said.
"You're always going to see a certain number."
