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Claimant count

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

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What is the claimant count?

The claimant count dataset is an experimental count from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) 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.

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.

North East claimants

In April 2024, in the North East Combined Authority area:

  • There were 46,800 people claiming job seeker related benefits
  • this was 35 higher than in March 2024 but 3,430 lower than in April 2023
  • it was 7,745 lower than the immediate pre-COVID total (in March 2020)
  • it was 43,165 lower than the peak during COVID (in August 2020).

North East claimant count, latest five years

Geographical comparisons 

In April 2024, in the North East:

  • The claimant count represented about 3.8% of the population aged 16 to 64
  • this was a slightly lower rate than for England, but a slightly higher rate than that of England excluding London
  • the gap between the North East and England excluding London rates was at its lowest level since the consistent time series started in 1994
  • the North East rate was at its lowest April level since 2018
  • among the eight core city areas the latest North East rate was the joint second lowest
  • the North East was one of only three core city areas where the latest rate was lower than a year earlier
  • it was the only core city area where the rate was lower than in the pre-Covid month of March 2020
  • among North East local authority areas, the latest rate was highest among South Tyneside residents and lowest in Northumberland
  • at constituency area level, the rate was highest among residents of South Shields and Newcastle upon Tyne Central.

Claimants by age and sex

In April 2024 in the North East:

  • About 33% of North East claimants of unemployment related benefits were aged 16 to 29
  • about 37% were aged 30 to 44, with the remaining 30% aged 45 and over
  • in every age group, the North East claimant count was lower than or unchanged from a year earlier
  • in most age groups the counts were lower than in the immediate pre-COVID month of March 2020
  • the latest count was only higher than the pre-COVID total among claimants aged 35 to 44 and 65 plus
  • the latest North East male claimant count rate (4.7%) was higher than the female equivalent (3.0%)
  • the percentage point gap was slightly higher than a year earlier but slightly lower than in March 2020.