Seasonal layoffs were a prime reason the number of people in Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry and Prescott-Russell receiving employment insurance shot up in January, according to the Eastern Ontario Training Board.
The total number of EI recipients in the five counties increased from 1,780 in October to 4,080 in January. The most dramatic rise was among males. In total, 3,140 males were collecting regular benefits in January compared with 1,120 in October, an increase of 2,020.
“Gains were broad-based across age groups, consistent with the seasonal uptick in claims that typically follows year-end layoffs in construction, transportation and other outdoor or seasonally exposed industries that make up a larger share of the local economy,” says the EOTB. In total, 940 females were collecting regular benefits in January compared with 660 in October, an increase of 280. The 25-to-54 age group drove most of the change, with the number going from 400 to 540 in this demographic group. In January of 2025, a total of 3,601 SDG-PR residents (2,860 males, 750 females) were receiving EI. SDG & PR recorded 348 new online job postings in March 2026, a drop of 28 from February. The March unemployment rate of 6.6 per cent for the five counties was higher than the Eastern Ontario rate of 4.3 per cent but below the Ontario rate of 7.6 per cent.
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