The number of people receiving Employment Insurance cheques in British Columbia dropped by 0.5 percent in July from a month earlier, according to figures Statistics Canada released today.

The 92,550 people receiving EI benefits in B.C. in July were twice as many as in July, 2008 and Vancouver, Victoria and Abbotsford-Mission were among the seven metropolitan areas to see the largest increases in the country.

Those gains in EI beneficiaries were connected to job losses, StatsCan's newsletter said. “The largest employment losses for the province over this period occurred in manufacturing, construction, as well as transportation and warehousing.”

Countrywide there was a 3.8 percent decrease from June to July in the number of people receiving regular benefits, with the largest declines in Ontario (5.9 percent), Quebec (5.3 percent) and Alberta (4.4 percent). It was the first decrease in 11 months.

In Newfoundland and Labrador the number of people receiving EI rose 6.5 percent, making it the only province with a notable increase.

The downturn has affected more men than women, the newsletter said, and more youth than older workers.

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.