Movement to Work

The Claimant Count

The Claimant Count is the most reliable data that we use in MtW.  While figures are published monthly by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) it is still only an estimate, but one which is directly sourced from the DWP / Jobcentre Plus admin system.  It covers the whole of the UK.

The Claimant Count measures the number of people claiming unemployment related benefits, usually Job Seekers Allowance, Universal Credit (UC) and National Insurance Credits. 

The Claimant Count is NOT just about unemployment, but there is a large overlap.  It does not meet the internationally agreed definition of unemployment specified by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), but does include people on UC who are in work but with very low earnings.  Additionally, the Claimant Count can include some people who are NEET and economically inactive.

Trends in the Claimant Count Over the Last Year.

The table below shows the trend in Claimant Count over the last 13 months for those aged 16 to 29 in the UK.

The latest published figures are for March 2021 and show a very marginal decrease since February of  1,820 people. Conversely this has gone up by 1,010 for those aged 16 to 29. 

A couple of regions have seen a small drop in 16 to 29 year old claimants, with Northern Ireland reducing by 1%, while London, the South East and Wales have also seen very small reductions. All other regions have increased very slightly.