The number of people receiving regular Employment Insurance benefits in Canada rose to 544,700 in December, a 0.8 percent increase from the previous month, Statistics Canada reported today.

There were 238,300 initial and renewal claims in December, a number essentially unchanged from November. While initial and renewal claims fell 4.8 percent in Saskatchewan, they increased 2.7 percent in Newfoundland and Labrador, and 1.9 percent in Alberta. There was little or no change in the other provinces.