"The figures, known as the claimant count, measure the number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits at a local authority level. The claimant count includes individuals receiving Jobseeker's Allowance and those on Universal Credit who are actively looking for work. Based on administrative data from the benefits system, it is widely regarded as a key indicator of labour market conditions across the capital."
"A total of 1,691,460 people in the UK claimed jobseeker benefits in October 2025, around 4% of working-age people. In London, 357,300 people claimed benefits, or 5.8% of working-age people. Newham (21,385 people, 8.2% of adults) had the highest number of jobseeker benefit claimants in October 2025, followed by Brent (18,335 people, 7.7% of adults), Ealing (17,450 people, 6.8% of adults), Croydon (17,365 people, 6.6% of adults) and Tower Hamlets (17,260 people, 6.8% of adults)."
"The City of London (150 people, 1.3% of adults) had the fewest number of jobseeker benefit claimants in October 2025, followed by Richmond upon Thames (3,250 people, 2.6% of adults) and Kensington and Chelsea (3,695 people, 3.5% of adults). The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that, with the skewed levels seen during the Covid-19 years stripped out, this was the highest level of unemployment seen since August 2016."
London recorded 357,300 jobseeker benefit claimants in October 2025, equal to 5.8% of working-age residents, compared with 1,691,460 claimants across the UK (about 4%). London's claimant rate is 1.8 percentage points above the UK level and about 45% higher than the national average. Newham, Brent, Ealing, Croydon and Tower Hamlets had the largest claimant counts, while the City of London, Richmond upon Thames and Kensington and Chelsea had the fewest. The claimant count covers Jobseeker's Allowance and Universal Credit claimants actively seeking work and is based on administrative benefits data. The ONS noted this was the highest unemployment level since August 2016.
Read at www.standard.co.uk
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