New Canadian jobless claims rise

The number of initial and renewed jobless claims in Canada rose 3.8 percent to 243,300 in July, Statistics Canada reported Thursday from Ottawa. There were 8,800 new or renewed claims, the third increase in four months, the agency said. Several provinces reported increases in new claims, led by Ontario, where there was a 19 percent jump. Despite those increases, StatsCan said the number of people receiving regular federal Employment Insurance benefits fell by 4.4 percent, or 24,800 claimants, to 535,700. That is the 10th consecutive monthly decline and the largest of them, the report said. Of the 10 provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador was the only one to report an increase in the number of regular beneficiaries, up 1.2 percent, the agency said.