Unemployment

Each month the unit produces a county economic summary containing the most up to date economic data for Worcestershire. Included in the document is unemployment data at ward, district and county level with an indication of how the pattern is changing over time and a comparison with the regional and national picture. To view the latest summary please click on the link below:

Latest Unemployment Data from the County Economic Summary

The count of claimants of unemployment-related benefits (hereafter referred to as the claimant count) records the number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits. These are currently the Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and National Insurance (NI) credits. The claimant count consists of all people claiming JSA or NI credits at local Employment Service/Jobcentre Plus offices. Claimant count rates are calculated by expressing the number of claimants who are resident in each area as a percentage of the workforce, plus the claimant count.

The claimant count is not seasonally adjusted for regional data. Thus comparisons over time have to be made with the same period a year ago. The count is accurate down to very small geographic areas and is unaffected by sampling variability since it is a 100 per cent sample. This means that it can be used as an indicator of unemployment down to very small areas, for example, electoral wards.

Claimant Count Unemployment Rates, 2001-2008

Source: Office for National Statistics, 2008.
*Rates are expressed as the number of claimants resident in an area as a percentage of the working age poulation resident in that area. Working age is defined as 16-64 for males and 16-59 for females.