Claimant count
Definition
The claimant count series represents the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or former unemployment-related benefits. It is collected via the Jobcentre Plus administrative system. Claimants must declare that they are out-of-work, capable of, available for and actively seeking work during the week in which their claim is made. Estimates of unemployment from the Labour Force Survey and the claimant count differ - see measuring the jobless. More information on ILO unemployment and other indicators is available in the manual "How exactly is unemployment measured".
Claimant count is based on the administrative records of people claiming Job Seekers' Allowance and National Insurance credits.
Claimant count and claimant count rate - ratio between the claimant count and an estimate of the workforce - are published monthly in the Integrated First Release (IFR), Labour Market Trends and on Nomis. Series are available both as stock counts and as flows in a variety of forms, e.g. by age, sex, duration, and destination of leavers from the claimant count as well as detailed geographical breakdowns. Seasonally adjusted series on an approximately consistent basis go back to 1971 for UK stocks series (1974 for GB regions). Seasonally adjusted inflows and outflows series go back to November 1988.
Related concepts
Unemployment
Sources
Jobcentre Plus administrative system
Labour Force Survey (LFS)
Measuring the jobless
Publications
Integrated First Release (IFR)
IFR Historical Supplement
Labour Market Trends
Nomis®
How exactly is unemployment measured?
Guide to labour market statistics First Releases
Key datasets
Claimant count by sex
Claimant count by age, duration and sex (computerised claims, nsa)
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This page last revised: Monday, 20 March 2006
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