The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the UK increased by 26.8 thousand to 1.694 million in March 2026, following a downwardly revised 17.1 thousand rise in the previous month and exceeding market expectations of a 21.4 thousand growth. source: Office for National Statistics

Claimant Count Change in the United Kingdom increased to 26.80 Thousand in March from 17.10 Thousand in February 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 May of 2026.

Claimant Count Change in the United Kingdom increased to 26.80 Thousand in March from 17.10 Thousand in February of 2026. Claimant Count Change in the United Kingdom is expected to be -5.00 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
2026-03-19 07:00 AM
Claimant Count Change
Feb 24.7K 4.7K 25.8K 18.0K
2026-04-21 06:00 AM
Claimant Count Change
Mar 26.8K 17.1K 21.4K 10K
2026-05-19 06:00 AM
Claimant Count Change
Apr 26.8K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Average Weekly Hours 31.70 31.80 Hours Feb 2026
Claimant Count Change 26.80 17.10 Thousand Mar 2026
Employed Persons 34328.00 34310.00 Thousand Feb 2026
Employment Change 25.00 84.00 Thousand Feb 2026
Employment Rate 75.00 75.10 percent Feb 2026
Full Time Employment 25584.00 25523.00 Thousand Feb 2026
Job Vacancies 711.00 721.00 Thousand Feb 2026
Labor Force Participation Rate 79.00 79.30 percent Feb 2026
Labour Costs 112.70 110.70 points Sep 2025
HMRC Payrolls Change -11.00 -5.66 Thousand Mar 2026
Part Time Employment 8743.00 8787.00 Thousand Feb 2026
Population 69.49 69.28 Million Dec 2025
Labour Productivity 99.00 99.60 points Dec 2025
Unemployed Persons 1667.40 1650.30 Thousand Feb 2026
Unemployment Rate 4.90 5.20 percent Feb 2026
Average Earnings incl. Bonus (3Mo/Yr) 3.80 4.10 percent Feb 2026
Average Weekly Wages 745.00 743.00 GBP/Week Feb 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 814.00 810.00 GBP/Week Feb 2026
Youth Unemployment Rate 14.30 14.50 percent Feb 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
26.80 17.10 860.50 -171.80 1971 - 2026 Thousand Monthly
SA