Labour Market: Claimant Count, 1985-2010, GB

The claimant count measures the number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits. This method of measuring unemployment is subject to changes in benefits eligibility and does not include the unemployed who are not claiming or not eligible for benefits. The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides a more accurate assessment of the labour market, however the current edition of the LFS has only been running sine 1992. Claimant count statistics allows more historical comparisons in unemployment rates.

Claimant count statistics from 1985 to 2010 in Great Britain, categorised by age groups, can be found here.