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
Last updated {{:: '2025-03-20T00:00:00.000Z' | date: 'dd/MM/yyyy' }}
Source: Claimant count via Nomis About the data: Experimental count of people claiming unemployment related benefits, expressed as a percentage of the 16 to 64 population. The claimants include unemployed people seeking work and recipients of benefits in employment who are required to look for other work to be eligible. Geography: North East Combined Authority area
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.
Source: Claimant count (ONS via Nomis) updated monthly About the data: Experimental count of the number of people claiming unemployment related benefis. The rate is expressed as a percentage of the 16 to 64 resident population. Claimants include unemployed people seeking work and people in employment who are required to look for other work to be eligible for benefits. Geography: North East Combined Authority area, England. Early North East rates based on a combination of local authority area data.
Source: Claimant count (ONS via Nomis) updated monthly About the data: Experimental count of the number of people claiming unemployment related benefis. The rate is expressed as a percentage of the 16 to 64 resident population. Claimants include unemployed people seeking work and people in employment who are required to look for other work to be eligible for benefits. Geography: English Combined Authority (CA) areas in the north and midlands, North East local authority areas, national comparisons.
Source: Claimant count (ONS via Nomis) updated monthly About the data: Experimental count of the number of people claiming unemployment related benefis. The rate is expressed as a percentage of the 16 to 64 resident population. Claimants include unemployed people seeking work and people in employment who are required to look for other work to be eligible for benefits. Geography: English Combined Authority (CA) areas in the north and midlands, North East local authority areas, national comparisons.
Source: Claimant count (ONS via Nomis) updated monthly About the data: Experimental count of the number of people claiming unemployment related benefis. The rate is expressed as a percentage of the 16 to 64 resident population. Claimants include unemployed people seeking work and people in employment who are required to look for other work to be eligible for benefits. Geography: Constiruency areas (as at 2024) in the North East Combined Authority area.
Source: Claimant count (ONS via Nomis) updated monthly About the data: Experimental count of people claiming unemployment related benefits. Claimants include unemployed people seeking work and people in employment who are required to look for other work to be eligible for benefits. Geography: North East Combined Authority area.
Source: Claimant count (ONS via Nomis) updated monthly About the data: Experimental count of the number of people claiming unemployment related benefis. Claimants include unemployed people seeking work and people in employment who are required to look for other work to be eligible for benefits. Geography: North East Combined Authority area.
Source: Claimant count (ONS via Nomis) updated monthly. About the data: Experimental count of the number of people claiming unemployment related benefis. The rate is expressed as a percentage of the 16 to 64 resident population. Claimants include unemployed people seeking work and people in employment who are required to look for other work to be eligible for benefits. Geography: North East Combined Authority area. Early rates based on a combination of Local Authority area data.
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.
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.
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.
