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.
December 2024 figures
Published on 17 December 2024 and valid until 21 January 2024.
Source: Office for National Statistics
Unemployment (all ages)
The figure for claimant count is 1,769,000.
The UK unemployment rate was 4.3% and 1.51 million people aged 16+ were unemployed. The unemployment rate has increased on the year (since August-October 2023) and on the quarter.
Young people (aged 16-24)
The unemployment rate for 16–24-year-olds is 13.9% for August 2024 – October 2024.The economic inactivity rate for August 2024 – October 2024 is 40.9% for 16–24-year-olds, unchanged on the previous quarter and previous year.
Young people (aged 16-29)
| Age | East | East Midlands | London | North East | North West | Northern Ireland | Scotland | South East | South West | Wales | West Midlands | Yorkshire and The Humber | Totals |
| Aged 16-17 | 260 | 230 | 165 | 150 | 425 | 85 | 790 | 290 | 250 | 305 | 300 | 355 | 3,605 |
| Aged 18-24 | 22,640 | 21,015 | 49,045 | 13,680 | 39,235 | 5,940 | 18,620 | 30,200 | 16,740 | 13,100 | 38,570 | 30,810 | 299,595 |
| Aged 25-29 | 14,160 | 12,535 | 40,955 | 7,840 | 25,080 | 4,670 | 12,965 | 20,275 | 10,900 | 7,820 | 23,750 | 17,855 | 198,805 |
| Totals | 37,060 | 33,780 | 90,165 | 21,670 | 64,740 | 10,695 | 32,375 | 50,765 | 27,890 | 21,225 | 62,620 | 49,020 | 502,005 |
Currently the claimant count for those aged 16-29 is 502,005.
Vacancies
- The headline figures for vacancies (for Sep-Nov ‘24) shows the UK has 818,000 vacancies – down 32,000 (-3.8%) on the quarter and up 22,000 (2.8%) on Jan-Mar ’20 (since Covid-19).
- The official statistics in development single month estimate of vacancies (for November‘24) is 796,000 – down 51,000 (-6.0%) on the quarter.
Disabled people (July 2024 to September 2024)
The disability employment rate is 54.4%.
Employment by nationality (July 2024 to September 2024)
- 86.1% of those employed in the UK are UK nationals, while 6.3% are EU nationals and 7.6% are non-EU nationals.
- The employment rate for UK nationals is 74.7%. For non-UK nationals, the employment rate is 76.2% (80.4% for EU nationals, 73.1% for non-EU nationals).