The federal government has temporarily set a minimum unemployment rate of 13.1 per cent to calculate employment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those people living in regions with an unemployment rate lower than that threshold will have their EI benefits calculated at that rate.

In regions with a higher unemployment rate,benefits will be calculated using the actual rate for that region.

The temporary use of a national minimum unemployment rate for the EI program will help more people access EI regular benefits and provide eligible Canadians with access to a minimum 26 weeks of benefits.