About 11,300 more British Columbians collected employment insurance in September than August, leading to the first increase in EI rolls since June, according to data released from Statistics Canada Tuesday.

The number of people in B.C. receiving benefits rose 12.8% to 99,360 in September, up from 88,080 in August. StatsCan reported that 15 of B.C.’s 25 large urban centres reported twice as many beneficiaries in September compared with September 2008.

In Vancouver, the number of beneficiaries rose 148.9% to 31,340. In Victoria, the number of beneficiaries rose to 3,650 from 1,560 while in Abbotsford, EI roles rose to 2,710 from 1,160.

Year-over-year, the number of EI recipients in the province has more than doubled. The number of men receiving benefits in B.C. has risen 151% in the past year to 44,700 from 17,790, whereas the number of women recipients has risen 85% to 26,520 from 14,280.

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