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EI economic regions 2026: unemployment rates, hours and weeks for all 62 regions
Period September 6, 2026 – October 10, 2026. The last column shows the weeks you would get with a full year of work (1,820 hours) on a $60,000 salary.
| Province | Region | Unemployment rate | Hours required | Best weeks | Min–max weeks | Weeks at 1,820 h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | Calgary | 6.5 % | 665 | 21 | 15–38 | 38 |
| Alberta | Edmonton | 7.0 % | 665 | 21 | 15–38 | 38 |
| Alberta | Northern Alberta | 8.8 % | 595 | 19 | 18–42 | 42 |
| Alberta | Southern Alberta | 7.4 % | 630 | 20 | 17–40 | 40 |
| British Columbia | Abbotsford | 7.3 % | 630 | 20 | 17–40 | 40 |
| British Columbia | Northern British Columbia | 9.0 % | 595 | 19 | 18–42 | 42 |
| British Columbia | Southern Coastal British Columbia | 6.6 % | 665 | 21 | 15–38 | 38 |
| British Columbia | Southern Interior British Columbia | 8.3 % | 595 | 19 | 18–42 | 42 |
| British Columbia | Vancouver | 6.4 % | 665 | 21 | 15–38 | 38 |
| British Columbia | Victoria | 5.7 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Manitoba | Northern Manitoba | 28.7 % | 420 | 14 | 32–45 | 45 |
| Manitoba | Southern Manitoba | 5.5 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Manitoba | Winnipeg | 5.3 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| New Brunswick | Fredericton-Moncton-Saint John | 6.6 % | 665 | 21 | 15–38 | 38 |
| New Brunswick | Madawaska-Charlotte | 5.4 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| New Brunswick | Restigouche-Albert | 10.4 % | 525 | 17 | 21–45 | 45 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Newfoundland/LabradorFootnote 5 | 11.5 % | 490 | 16 | 23–45 | 45 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | St. John's | 6.6 % | 665 | 21 | 15–38 | 38 |
| Northwest Territories | Northwest TerritoriesFootnote 7 | 10.8 % | 525 | 17 | 21–45 | 45 |
| Northwest Territories | Yellowknife | 4.9 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Nova Scotia | Eastern Nova Scotia | 8.6 % | 595 | 19 | 18–42 | 42 |
| Nova Scotia | Halifax | 5.6 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Nova Scotia | Western Nova Scotia | 6.5 % | 665 | 21 | 15–38 | 38 |
| Nunavut | Iqaluit | 7.1 % | 630 | 20 | 17–40 | 40 |
| Nunavut | NunavutFootnote 8 | 14.6 % | 420 | 14 | 28–45 | 45 |
| Ontario | Central Ontario | 5.5 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Ontario | Eastern Ontario | 6.4 % | 665 | 21 | 15–38 | 38 |
| Ontario | Hamilton | 6.5 % | 665 | 21 | 15–38 | 38 |
| Ontario | Huron | 8.7 % | 595 | 19 | 18–42 | 42 |
| Ontario | Kingston | 5.5 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Ontario | Kitchener | 7.9 % | 630 | 20 | 17–40 | 40 |
| Ontario | London | 8.7 % | 595 | 19 | 18–42 | 42 |
| Ontario | Niagara | 7.1 % | 630 | 20 | 17–40 | 40 |
| Ontario | Northern Ontario | 7.2 % | 630 | 20 | 17–40 | 40 |
| Ontario | Oshawa | 8.8 % | 595 | 19 | 18–42 | 42 |
| Ontario | Ottawa | 7.4 % | 630 | 20 | 17–40 | 40 |
| Ontario | South Central Ontario | 5.7 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Ontario | St. Catharines | 6.2 % | 665 | 21 | 15–38 | 38 |
| Ontario | Sudbury | 6.0 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Ontario | Thunder Bay | 5.3 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Ontario | Toronto | 6.8 % | 665 | 21 | 15–38 | 38 |
| Ontario | Windsor | 7.6 % | 630 | 20 | 17–40 | 40 |
| Prince Edward Island | Charlottetown | 5.6 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Prince Edward Island | Prince Edward IslandFootnote 9 | 10.0 % | 560 | 18 | 20–44 | 44 |
| Quebec | Central Quebec | 3.5 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Quebec | Chicoutimi-Jonquière | 3.6 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Quebec | Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine | 10.3 % | 525 | 17 | 21–45 | 45 |
| Quebec | Hull | 6.4 % | 665 | 21 | 15–38 | 38 |
| Quebec | Lower Saint Lawrence and North Shore | 5.4 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Quebec | Montérégie | 4.3 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Quebec | Montreal | 6.6 % | 665 | 21 | 15–38 | 38 |
| Quebec | North Western Quebec | 4.4 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Quebec | Quebec | 4.4 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Quebec | Sherbrooke | 4.0 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Quebec | South Central Quebec | 2.6 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Quebec | Trois-Rivières | 5.8 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Saskatchewan | Northern Saskatchewan | 14.5 % | 420 | 14 | 28–45 | 45 |
| Saskatchewan | Regina | 6.2 % | 665 | 21 | 15–38 | 38 |
| Saskatchewan | Saskatoon | 6.6 % | 665 | 21 | 15–38 | 38 |
| Saskatchewan | Southern Saskatchewan | 7.0 % | 665 | 21 | 15–38 | 38 |
| Yukon | Whitehorse | 4.8 % | 700 | 22 | 14–36 | 36 |
| Yukon | YukonFootnote 6 | 7.0 % | 665 | 21 | 15–38 | 38 |
How to read this table
The unemployment rate is the seasonally adjusted three-month moving average published by Statistics Canada for the region. It sets three parameters at once: the hours required to qualify (700 at 6% or less, 420 above 13%), the best weeks divisor (22 at 6% or less, 14 above 13%) and the weeks of benefits grid. A higher rate means easier access, a smaller divisor (so a higher average) and more weeks.
Rates are refreshed every four weeks; this page is regenerated from Service Canada’s data. Use the calculator for your own hours and pay.
How the regions are drawn
The 62 regions are defined in Schedule I of the Employment Insurance Regulations and were last redrawn in 2014, when Ontario, Alberta, Nunavut and Quebec gained new regions to separate large cities from their surroundings. Each province is split into between two and twelve regions along census division boundaries; the three territories are one region each, and Prince Edward Island has two, Charlottetown and the rest of the island. The boundaries do not follow municipal limits, so a postal code lookup is the only reliable way to place an address; the Ottawa region, for example, excludes parts of the surrounding counties that belong to Eastern Ontario, and the Toronto region ends at the city limits, with Mississauga and Brampton in the Oshawa or Hamilton regions depending on the street.
Why the rate is a moving average
The rate published for each region is a seasonally adjusted three-month moving average of the Labour Force Survey estimate, produced by Statistics Canada specifically for the EI program. Averaging over three months smooths the sampling noise of small regions, where a single month’s estimate can swing by several points, and seasonal adjustment prevents predictable winter unemployment from raising entitlements every January. The result lags the labour market by about two months: a sudden plant closure raises the regional rate only gradually over the following three periods. The rate in force for a claim is the one published for the period that includes the Sunday on which the benefit period begins.
Regions at the boundaries
The band boundaries at every whole percentage point make small changes consequential. A region at 6.0% requires 700 hours and gives at most 36 weeks with a full year of work; at 6.1% it requires 665 hours and gives 38. Claimants in regions whose rate hovers near a boundary should compare the current period with the next one, published on the Saturday before it takes effect, before choosing the week to apply, keeping in mind that a claim cannot be antedated beyond the last day of work without good cause and must be filed within four weeks of it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my EI economic region?
Two ways. Either use the Service Canada “EI economic regions” lookup, which finds your region from your postal code, or select your province and region directly in our calculator. Note that large metropolitan areas — Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Calgary and others — each form a region of their own, while the remainder of each province is divided into several regions whose rates can differ sharply.
How often do the rates change?
Every four weeks. Service Canada publishes a new period with updated unemployment rates, seasonally adjusted and expressed as a three-month moving average. What matters for you is the rate in force on the day your claim starts: it is locked in for the whole claim, so a later increase or decrease changes nothing. If your region sits just under a threshold, waiting for the next publication can be worth several weeks of benefits.
What does “minimum–maximum weeks” mean?
The minimum is the number of weeks you would receive with only the hours required to qualify in that region; the maximum is what you would receive with 1,820 insurable hours or more, which is a full year at 35 hours a week. Everything in between is set by the table in Schedule I of the Employment Insurance Act, which cross-references your hours against the regional unemployment rate.
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Written by Mottalib Radif
INSEAD MBA · Mines Saint-Étienne engineer · Personal finance and benefits
Updated on · Editorial policy · Contact
Rates 2026, last updated 2026-09-16