Claimant count

Numbers of people claiming unemployment-related benefit. A more timely dataset than local unemployment rates.

Labour market Poverty and deprivation
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About the claimant count

The claimant count dataset is a monthly estimate from the Office for National Statistics of people claiming benefits because they are seeking work. It gives indications of local levels of unemployment that are more timely than the official unemployment rate and has data for smaller areas. It is described as an experimental dataset as the methodology is evolving.

Rules about who can claim these benefits can change and comparisons of rates over time should take such changes unto account. Some claimants are not unemployed but are low paid workers required to seek a new job to be eligible for the benefit. Not everyone who stops claiming these benefits moves into employment, some people become economically inactive and are no longer eligible.

The latest claimant count data was released on 20th March 2025 and included data up to and including February 2025.


North East claimants

49,185

North East total (Feb 2025)

up by 1,655 from
the January total.

+2,420

compared to a year earlier

latest total up by 5.2%
from 46,765 (Feb 2024).

-5,205

compared to the same month, pre-COVID

down by 9.6% from the
February 2020 total.

+65%

COVID related increase

up 35,420
from March to August 2020,
when the total peaked.

North East claimant count, latest six years


Geographic comparisons

3.9%

North East claimant count rate

(% of 16-64 population, Feb 2025),
below the England rate,
for the first time this century.

2nd

lowest among nine similar areas

(jointly),
comparing the English combined authority
areas in the north and midlands.

5.3%

South Tyneside rate

the highest among the seven
North East local authority areas.

-0.6 pp

N.E. rate below pre-COVID rate

(Feb 2020) in contrast to
England's rate: 1.3 pp higher,
rates also higher in most MCA areas.


Claimants by age group and sex

1 in 5

North East claimants are under 25

24% are 25-34, 25% are 35-44,
16% are 45-54, 15% are 55 plus.

59%

of North East claimants are male

more males in each age group,
64% of claimants under 30 are male,
female % is largest in 35-44 age group.

-4,245

change in claimants aged under 35

since pre-COVID (Feb 2020),
aged 35-49: an increase of 1,380,
aged 50 plus: a decrease of 2,330.

4.7%

North East male claimant rate

female rate: 3.2%
smallest gap this century.


Further analysis 

The evidence hub includes other data reports that provide information about people who are not in work. It also features analysis of the labour market as a whole. Most of the raw data for these reports can be downloaded from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Unemployment rate

North East data report including using survey based estimates of the number of people who are not in work but are actively seekng employment.

Economic inactivity rate

North East data report about the number of non-workers who are not actively seeking employment and their reasons for inactivity.

North East labour market homepage

The evidence hub landing page that includes links to data reports on employment, unemployment, and economic inactivity.

Nomis labour market statistics

An ONS website providing a flexible way to access up-to-date official statistics for local areas. All aspects of the labour market are covered, along with population estimates and some economic data.

Regional labour market statistics

A data report focusing on the monthly labour market statistical release for the broader North East region. More up to date than combined authority level data, but less detailed.