Long-term out of work and “Searching for Work” claimants on Universal Credit, January 2023 to January 2024
Published 19 April 2024
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/long-term-out-of-work-and-searching-for-work-claimants-on-universal-credit/long-term-out-of-work-and-searching-for-work-claimants-on-universal-credit-january-2023-to-january-2024
Introduction
This publication provides ad hoc statistics about the number of long-term out of work claimants on Universal Credit in the “Searching for Work” labour market regime.
Results
In January 2024 there were 223,000 Universal Credit claimants who had been out of work in the “Searching for Work” regime for at least 18 consecutive months.
There were 320,000 claimants who had been out of work in the “Searching for Work” regime for at least 12 consecutive months.
Number of Universal Credit claimants by length of time out of work and in the “Searching for Work” labour market regime, Great Britain
| Month | Out of work and Searching for Work at least 18 months | Out of work and Searching for Work at least 12 months | Out of work and Searching for Work at least 6 months | All out of work and Searching for Work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2023 | 237,000 | 320,000 | 475,000 | 1,091,000 |
| February 2023 | 233,000 | 316,000 | 475,000 | 1,130,000 |
| March 2023 | 231,000 | 313,000 | 479,000 | 1,146,000 |
| April 2023 | 231,000 | 315,000 | 490,000 | 1,158,000 |
| May 2023 | 233,000 | 319,000 | 499,000 | 1,195,000 |
| June 2023 | 230,000 | 318,000 | 496,000 | 1,214,000 |
| July 2023 | 229,000 | 319,000 | 501,000 | 1,216,000 |
| August 2023 | 227,000 | 319,000 | 501,000 | 1,235,000 |
| September 2023 | 226,000 | 321,000 | 497,000 | 1,260,000 |
| October 2023 | 225,000 | 322,000 | 490,000 | 1,251,000 |
| November 2023 | 222,000 | 317,000 | 476,000 | 1,229,000 |
| December 2023 | 220,000 | 313,000 | 466,000 | 1,210,000 |
| January 2024 | 223,000 | 320,000 | 474,000 | 1,231,000 |
Source: DWP Management Information
Notes to table:
- data is not seasonally adjusted
- numbers have been rounded to the nearest 1,000
About these statistics
The figures presented in this release are from the UC system which has been collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to the same extent as Official Statistics.
Numbers in this publication are not comparable with the monthly statistics on the number of people on Universal Credit. This is because they are drawn from the underlying administrative databases rather than the extracts than comprise the Official Statistics (which would not facilitate this analysis). See the metadata on Stat-Xplore for the People on Universal Credit Official Statistics for details of the methodology used there, which differs in various ways from the definitions in this publication described below.
Claimants who are in the “Searching for Work” regime are those who are not in work, or with very low earnings, who are required to take action to secure work or more/better paid work.
For the purposes of this publication claimants are in work if they have any amount of earnings, or if they have been assessed to be gainfully self-employed regardless of whether they are currently making a profit. Gainful self-employment means that their self-employed work is conducted in the expectation of profit and is their main form of work.
We have excluded from all counts claimants who are in the “Searching for Work” regime but have a live fit note and are pre-Work Capability Assessment, since these claimants are not expected to be available for work.
Numbers in this release include both those under sanction for failing to meet the conditions of their claim and those who are not under such a sanction.
In this publication counts of claimants in a particular month refer to the month in which a Universal Credit assessment period ends.
Statement of Compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics
The Code of Practice for Statistics (the Code) is built around 3 main concepts, or pillars:
- trustworthiness – is about having confidence in the people and organisations that publish statistics
- quality – is about using data and methods that produce statistics
- value – is about publishing statistics that support society’s needs
The following explains how we have applied the pillars of the Code in a proportionate way.
Trustworthiness
DWP analysts work to a professional competency framework and Civil Service core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity, and impartiality. The analysis in this release has been scrutinised and received sign off by the expert lead analyst.
We protect the security of our data in order to maintain the privacy of the citizen, fulfil relevant legal obligations and uphold our obligation that no statistics will be produced that are likely to identify an individual, while at the same time taking account of our obligation to obtain maximum value from the data we hold for statistical purposes. All analysts are given security training and the majority of data accessed by analysts is obfuscated and access is business case controlled based to the minimum data required.
The figures have been seen in advance by Ministers and officials, in line with the Code, where pre-release access does not apply for an ad hoc analysis release.
Quality
The data which underpins this information is taken directly and solely from departmental systems, which are relied upon by DWP for the administration and operation of Universal Credit.
Quality assurance has taken place in line with the standards usually applied to DWP ad hoc releases, with an internal check that the results shown are robust.
Value
Releasing this information serves the public interest in long-term unemployment among Universal Credit claimants. The figures add to the wider set of information on those who are claiming Universal Credit. The figures also help reduce the administrative burden of answering Parliamentary Questions, Freedom of Information requests and other forms of ad hoc enquiry.
Contact information
For press enquiries contact DWP Press Office: 0203 267 5125