The Social Assistance Summaries series tracks the number of recipients of social assistance (welfare payments) in each province and territory.
In this section you will find:
Manitoba’s social assistance program
Social assistance is the income program of last resort. It is intended for households who have exhausted all other means of financial support. Every province and territory has its own social assistance program(s), and no two are the same. For the total incomes available to social assistance recipients, visit the Welfare in Canada report.
In Manitoba, social assistance is delivered through two programs:
- Employment and Income Assistance (EIA); and
- Manitoba Supports for Persons with Disabilities (Manitoba Supports).
Employment and Income Assistance (EIA)
EIA provides income assistance to Manitobans in need. This includes benefits to support the costs of basic needs and shelter. Recipients are also supported to undertake employability assessments, personal job planning, work incentives, and other supports to assist Manitobans in entering, re-entering, or remaining in the labour force.
Within EIA, some may receive benefits under the Medical Barriers to Full Employment (MBFE) category. An individual is eligible for MBFE if they are unable to earn an income sufficient to meet the basic necessities due to physical or mental ill health, incapacity, or disorder for a period of more than one year.
Manitoba Supports
Manitoba Supports is a new income assistance program introduced in January 2023. It is separate and distinct from EIA. Manitoba Supports provides income support to Manitobans with severe and prolonged disabilities. Recipients receive financial assistance for basic needs, shelter, and other special needs. Recipients may also choose to access available navigation services that are tailored to the needs of persons with disabilities.
To be eligible for Manitoba Supports, an applicant must have a severe and prolonged disability. This is defined in the Disability Support Act as a “significant impairment or condition of the body or mind that is permanent or likely to be permanent.”
How many people claim social assistance?
To access data on cases and beneficiaries of social assistance in Manitoba, including disaggregated data, download the spreadsheet here.
Employment and Income Assistance (EIA)
On average, there were 32,200 cases (family units and unattached single adults) and 56,300 beneficiaries (individual claimants, their partners, and dependent children) in Manitoba’s Employment and Income Assistance program in 2024-25. After consistent increases in EIA cases and beneficiaries from 2007-08 to 2018-19, both began to decline for three years until 2021-22. In 2022-23, there was a slight increase, 1 per cent in both cases and beneficiaries. However, in 2023-24, the trend reversed again. In 2024-25, cases slightly increased by 0.3 per cent and beneficiaries dropped by 1.2 per cent.
Within EIA, on average, 11,800 cases, or over 36 per cent, and 15,400 beneficiaries, or over 27 per cent, received benefits through the Medical Barriers to Full Employment (MBFE) category in 2024-25.
MBFE numbers also decreased from the previous year. On average, MBFE cases decreased by 1,700, or 13 per cent, and MBFE beneficiaries decreased by 1,800, or over 10 per cent. This decrease can be partly explained by the introduction of the new Manitoba Supports for Persons with Disabilities program in January 2023.
Figure 1MB: Yearly cases and beneficiaries of EIA in Manitoba, 1996-97 to 2024-25
Figure 2MB: Yearly cases and beneficiaries of MBFE under EIA in Manitoba, 2020-21 to 2024-25
Manitoba Supports
Manitoba Supports was introduced in January 2023. In 2024-25, both cases and beneficiaries continued the upward trend by increasing to 11,900 and 13,500, respectively.
Figure 3MB: Yearly cases and beneficiaries of Manitoba Supports, 2022-23 to 2024-25
What proportion of the population receives social assistance?
In 2024-25, on average, 4.5 per cent of people in Manitoba under 65 received EIA. This year’s proportion is the lowest in the timeline and down from 4.7 per cent in 2023-24, the previous lowest point. In prior years, on average, the proportion had been at around 6 per cent since 1999-2000.
For Manitoba Supports, on average, the proportion was 1.1 per cent in 2024-25.
Figure 4MB: Yearly beneficiaries of EIA and Manitoba Supports as a proportion of the under-65 Manitoba population, 1996-97 to 2024-25
Who is receiving social assistance?
This section examines disaggregated data on cases by household type and adult beneficiaries by age group.
Household type
In 2024-25, on average, unattached singles were the majority household among EIA cases in Manitoba, representing 22,000 cases (about 70 per cent), followed by single parents, representing 7,100 cases (around 23 per cent).
Among those who received MBFE under EIA, unattached single households were the majority of cases, representing 10,000 cases (around 85 per cent), followed by single parents, representing 1,100 cases (over 9 per cent).
Similar to MBFE, in 2024-25, unattached singles were the majority of cases of Manitoba Supports, representing 11,000 cases (around 93 per cent). The second-largest household type was single parents, representing 400 cases (just over 3 per cent).
Figure 5MB: Cases of EIA by household in Manitoba, 2020-21 to 2024-25
Figure 6MB: Cases of MBFE under EIA by household in Manitoba, 2020-21 to 2024-25
Figure 7MB: Cases and beneficiaries of Manitoba Supports by household, 2022-23 to 2024-25
Age of adult beneficiaries
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the most common age group among adult beneficiaries was 30-54 for those receiving EIA, MBFE under EIA, and Manitoba Supports. The share for each had an upward trend over time.
The 18-29 age group was the second most common among adult beneficiaries of EIA and Manitoba Supports. For EIA, this group’s share increased over time, while for Manitoba Supports it slightly decreased. Among MBFE adult beneficiaries under EIA, the second most common age group was 55-65, and this group’s share also increased over time. The share of adult beneficiaries aged 55-65 was the third most common age group among both EIA (with a slightly downward trend) and Manitoba Supports (with a slight upward trend). For MBFE under EIA, 18–29 was the third most common age group and showed a decreasing trend over time.
Adult beneficiaries over 65 were the least common age group among EIA, MBFE under EIA, and Manitoba Supports. Across all programs, the share remained stable over time.
Figure 8MB: Percentage of adult beneficiaries of EIA by age group in Manitoba, 2020-21 to 2024-25
Figure 9MB: Percentage of adult beneficiaries of MBFE under EIA by age group in Manitoba, 2020-21 to 2024-25
Figure 10MB: Percentage of adult beneficiaries of Manitoba Supports by age group, 2022-23 to 2024-25
Access to data
The data on social assistance recipients in Manitoba is available for download, including:
- Total number of cases and beneficiaries;
- Percentage of beneficiaries relative to the total under-65 population;
- Cases and beneficiaries by household type;
- Beneficiaries by sex;
- Single households by sex;
- Adults by age group; and
- Percentage of cases receiving employment income.
Data notes
- Employment and Income Assistance data, including Medical Barriers to Full Employment, reflects the average number of cases and beneficiaries over the fiscal year (April 1 to March 31).
- Numbers for Manitoba Supports in 2022-23 are the average of the first three months of 2023, while for 2023-24 the numbers are averaged over the full fiscal year and will be presented in this format moving forward. The difference in the way data is reported limits comparability.
- Figures are rounded to the nearest 100, with some exceptions where they are rounded to the nearest 10.
- The numbers do not include First Nations living on reserves.
- Data for total cases and beneficiaries is from a different source than data for disaggregated cases and beneficiaries (household and sex) so there may be discrepancies between them.
- While the sex distribution of EIA, MBFE under EIA, and Manitoba Supports is typically balanced between males and females, the sex of single households reveals a more pronounced gender pattern. Typically, unattached singles are predominantly male, while single parents are primarily female.
- Statistics represent all welfare cases in Manitoba and combine municipal and provincial income assistance statistics where appropriate.
- From 2024-25 onward, age groups were redefined as 18-29, 30-54, 55-65, and over 65. Previous data on adult beneficiaries by age group was revised to maintain consistency across reporting years.
- In Manitoba, employment income is defined as work employment and self-employment earnings by participants. Work employment earnings are earned income derived from salaried employment or wages rather than from self-employment. Self-employment earnings are earned income from independent livelihoods such as farmers, fishers, trappers, and small business operators and independent contractors.
- Information about how the data is gathered.