The number of Canadians on regular employment insurance benefits in December rose by a seasonally adjusted 25,000 from November to hit 538,200, Statistics Canada said Tuesday.

Number of beneficiaries receiving regular benefits
Dec. 2008 (seasonally adjusted) Nov. to Dec. (% change)
N.L. 36,880 0.5
P.E.I. 8,090 0.4
N.S. 28,990 2.6
N.B. 30,490 0.5
Que. 171,840 5.7
Ont. 167,190 4.0
Man. 11,220 2.1
Sask. 8,710 2.6
Alta. 20,380 6.5
B.C. 49,790 5.3

From December 2007 and the same month last year, the number of Canadians on EI rose by 79,100, or more than 16 per cent.

The rise in EI claims came as employment wilted amid an economic slowdown. Since October, overall employment in Canada has fallen by 213,000, the result of full-time job losses.

The number of regular beneficiaries was up in all provinces and territories compared to the same month a year earlier. The largest increases occurred in British Columbia, where a jump of more than 33 per cent was seen, Alberta, up 30 per cent, and Ontario, which was up just under 30 per cent.

Most major cities saw an increase in the number of regular beneficiaries.

The largest year-over-year changes occurred in London, Ont., where a jump of 75.5 per cent was reported. The number of EI recipients in Windsor, Ont., grew by 61.3 per cent, while Kitchener, Ont., saw a jump of almost 51 per cent.