For 16 to 64 year olds, the national average for claimants per local authority sits at 4,353 people. The latest figures reveal that, on average, 3.31% of a local authority’s 16 to 64 year olds are claiming Universal Credit or Job Seeker’s allowance.
Both of these metrics represent a slight increase on December’s figures.
In December, the average number of claimants per local authority sat at 4,316 people while 3.28% of 16 to 64 year olds claimed unemployment-related benefits.
As with December, Birmingham has the highest proportion of claimants against total population – with a figure of 8.7%.
The Isle of Scilly has the lowest rate at 1.8%. Both of these local authorities have had the proportion of claimants increase by 0.1% when compared to last month.
This data was released by the ONS on 13th February 2024