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.
February 2025 figures
Published on 18 February 2025 – valid until 20 March 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics
Unemployment (all ages)
The figure for claimant count is 1,750,000.
The UK unemployment rate was 4.4% and 1.56 million people aged 16+ were unemployed. The unemployment rate has increased on the quarter and unemployment levels have risen by around 210,000 over the last year.
Young people (aged 16-24)
Unemployment rate for 16–24-year-olds is 14.8% for October 2024 – December 2024. The economic inactivity rate for October 2024 – December 2024 is 41.2% for 16–24-year-olds, down slightly from 41.5% the year before. There were 3.03 million young people aged 16 to 24 who were economically inactive, 28,000 more than the 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 | 235 | 155 | 155 | 425 | 65 | 775 | 285 | 280 | 310 | 290 | 375 | 3,610 |
| Aged 18-24 | 22,855 | 20,860 | 48,520 | 13,480 | 38,210 | 5,555 | 18,665 | 30,510 | 17,225 | 13,195 | 37,890 | 30,320 | 297,285 |
| Aged 25-29 | 14,265 | 12,500 | 40,730 | 7,790 | 24,885 | 4,420 | 13,090 | 20,175 | 11,010 | 7,835 | 23,635 | 17,690 | 198,025 |
| Totals | 37,380 | 33,595 | 89,405 | 21,425 | 63,520 | 10,040 | 32,530 | 50,970 | 28,515 | 21,340 | 61,815 | 48,385 | 498,920 |
Currently, the claimant count for those aged 16-29 is 498,920.
Vacancies
- The headline figures for vacancies (for Nov-Jan ‘25) shows the UK has 819,000 vacancies – down 9,000 (-1.1%) on the quarter and up 23,000 (2.9%) on Jan-Mar ’20 (since Covid-19).
- The official statistics in development single month estimate of vacancies (for January ‘25) is 759,000 – down 100,000 (-11.6%) on the quarter.
Disabled people (October 2024 to December 2024)
The disability employment rate is 54.0%.
Employment by nationality (October 2024 to December 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.