The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the UK rose sharply by 30.3 thousand to 1.701 million in September 2026, following a downwardly revised 7.0 thousand increase in the previous month and far exceeding market expectations of a 19.4 thousand increase. source: Office for National Statistics

Claimant Count Change in the United Kingdom increased to 30.30 Thousand in September from 7 Thousand in August of 2026. Claimant Count Change in the United Kingdom averaged 1.75 Thousand from 1971 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 860.50 Thousand in April of 2020 and a record low of -171.80 Thousand in June of 2021. This page provides the latest reported value for - United Kingdom Claimant Count Change - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. United Kingdom Claimant Count Change - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on October of 2026.

Claimant Count Change in the United Kingdom increased to 30.30 Thousand in September from 7 Thousand in August of 2026. Claimant Count Change in the United Kingdom is expected to be 3.00 Thousand by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United Kingdom Claimant Count Change is projected to trend around -5.00 Thousand in 2027 and -7.00 Thousand in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-09-15 06:00 AM
Claimant Count Change
Aug 27.8K -11.8K 8.3K 5.0K
2026-10-20 06:00 AM
Claimant Count Change
Sep 30.3K 7K 19.4K 20K
2026-11-17 07:00 AM
Claimant Count Change
Oct 30.3K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Average Weekly Hours 32.00 32.00 Hours Aug 2026
Claimant Count Change 30.30 7.00 Thousand Sep 2026
Employed Persons 34577.00 34478.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Employment Change 102.00 66.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Employment Rate 75.30 75.10 percent Aug 2026
Full Time Employment 25865.00 25772.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Job Vacancies 691.00 704.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Labor Force Participation Rate 79.10 79.10 percent Aug 2026
Labour Costs 114.50 112.70 points Mar 2026
HMRC Payrolls Change 12.65 0.71 Thousand Sep 2026
Part Time Employment 8713.00 8705.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Population 69.49 69.28 Million Dec 2025
Labour Productivity 99.30 100.10 points Jun 2026
Unemployed Persons 1670.70 1663.70 Thousand Aug 2026
Unemployment Rate 4.70 4.90 percent Aug 2026
Average Earnings incl. Bonus (3Mo/Yr) 3.70 3.90 percent Aug 2026
Average Weekly Wages 757.00 757.00 GBP/Week Aug 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 824.00 818.00 GBP/Week Aug 2026
Youth Unemployment Rate 13.20 14.40 percent Aug 2026


United Kingdom Claimant Count Change
Claimant count in the United Kingdom measures the change in the number of people claiming unemployment related benefits.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
30.30 7.00 860.50 -171.80 1971 - 2026 Thousand Monthly
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