The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the UK increased by 24.7 thousand to 1.692 million in February 2026, following a downwardly revised 4.7 thousand rise in the previous month but missing market expectations of a 25.8 thousand growth. source: Office for National Statistics

Claimant Count Change in the United Kingdom increased to 24.70 Thousand in February from 4.70 Thousand in January of 2026. Claimant Count Change in the United Kingdom averaged 1.75 Thousand from 1971 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 860.40 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 March of 2026.

Claimant Count Change in the United Kingdom increased to 24.70 Thousand in February from 4.70 Thousand in January of 2026. Claimant Count Change in the United Kingdom is expected to be 10.00 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
2026-02-17 07:00 AM
Claimant Count Change
Jan 28.6K 2.7K 22.8K 22.0K
2026-03-19 07:00 AM
Claimant Count Change
Feb 24.7K 4.7K 25.8K 18.0K
2026-04-15 06:00 AM
Claimant Count Change
Mar 24.7K 10K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Average Weekly Hours 31.80 31.90 Hours Jan 2026
Claimant Count Change 24.70 4.70 Thousand Feb 2026
Employed Persons 34310.00 34244.00 Thousand Jan 2026
Employment Change 84.00 52.00 Thousand Jan 2026
Employment Rate 75.10 75.00 percent Jan 2026
Full Time Employment 25523.00 25499.00 Thousand Jan 2026
Job Vacancies 721.00 730.00 Thousand Jan 2026
Labor Force Participation Rate 79.30 79.20 percent Jan 2026
Labour Costs 112.70 110.70 points Sep 2025
HMRC Payrolls Change 20.17 6.47 Thousand Feb 2026
Part Time Employment 8787.00 8745.00 Thousand Jan 2026
Population 69.49 69.28 Million Dec 2025
Labour Productivity 99.00 99.60 points Dec 2025
Unemployed Persons 1666.90 1662.20 Thousand Jan 2026
Unemployment Rate 5.20 5.20 percent Jan 2026
Average Earnings incl. Bonus (3Mo/Yr) 3.90 4.20 percent Jan 2026
Average Weekly Wages 742.00 735.00 GBP/Week Jan 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 809.00 809.00 GBP/Week Jan 2026
Youth Unemployment Rate 14.50 14.00 percent Jan 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
24.70 4.70 860.40 -171.80 1971 - 2026 Thousand Monthly
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