The number of recipients in Ottawa fell 8.5 per cent to 7,940 recipients in March, down from 8,680 in the same month last year.
In Gatineau, beneficiaries declined 0.7 per cent to 4,380, from 4,410 last year.
Nationally, Statistics Canada says the number of people receiving regular EI benefits was little changed in March at 549,400.
The agency says the number of beneficiaries has been relatively stable since last September.
It says there were more people receiving benefits in March in Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick, but the number fell in Alberta.
To receive benefits, individuals must first submit a claim and the number of claims provides an indication of the number of people who could become beneficiaries.
Nationally, the number of initial and renewal claims totalled 234,200 in March, essentially unchanged for the sixth consecutive month.
Provincially, claims fell 2.9 per cent in Ontario, 2.6 per cent in British Columbia, and 1.7 per cent in Alberta, while they rose 2.6 per cent in Quebec and 1.1 per cent in New Brunswick.
- With a report from The Canadian Press
.jpg)
