Fresh Employment Insurance numbers today paint an even more troubling picture for Alberta and Saskatchewan, two provinces hit hard by the commodities rout.

The number of people receiving jobless benefits in Saskatchewan climbed 4.6 per cent in November from October, to almost 15,000. The year-over-year increase topped 35 per cent.

In Alberta, the number of EI recipients rose 2.7 per cent in November, to 61,300, or more than double that of a year earlier.

The number of recipients rose 4.7 per cent in Edmonton and 3.3 per cent in Calgary.

Claims, too, were on the rise, up 6.4 per cent in Saskatchewan and 1.7 per cent in Alberta.

Across Canada, the number of EI recipients stood at 544,200 in November, up slightly from October.

“The increase is in Alberta and Saskatchewan and in occupations that are linked to the energy sector,” said Benjamin Tal of CIBC World Markets.

“The numbers continue to reflect the dual personality of the Canadian labour market.”

The spreading troubles from the oil shock are playing out in so many ways.

The Globe’s and Mail’s Rachelle Younglai, for example, reports on the exodus of workers from Alberta to British Columbia and Ontario.

“In terms of the balance of supply and demand, the ratio of unemployment to job vacancies has risen sharply in the energy-producing provinces since the autumn of 2014, while the same measure has been relatively stable over the past several quarters in the rest of Canada,” the Bank of Canada noted yesterday in its monetary policy report.

“While the bank’s labour market indicators for British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick have improved over the past year or so, those for the energy-producing provinces of have deteriorated,” it added.

Like Mr. Tal, the central bank also noted the dual nature of Canada’s job market as the oil-dependent provinces take it on the chin.

“Underlying these national indicators are the diverging trends between the energy-producing provinces and the rest of the country, notably the rapid deterioration of labour market conditions in Alberta, as indicated by sharp increases in the unemployment rate and employment insurance claims in that province.”