Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 3,145 people on the Isle of Wight were claiming ‘out of work benefits’ (this is the wording defined by ONS) during August 2024 – these figures will also include Universal Credit figures.
That’s a rise of 20 since July 2024, when there were 3,125 claimants, and a rise of 625 from August 2023 (2,520 claimants).
Breakdown of claimants
Of those claiming in August 2024:
- 1,665 were male
- 1,480 were female
- 5 were 16-17
- 505 were aged 18 To 24
- 300 were aged 18 To 21
- 1,765 were aged 25 To 49
- 875 were aged 50+
National comparison
That means 4.0 per cent of the resident population of area aged 16-64 is claiming out of work benefits – 0.8 per cent more than the rest of the South East (3.2 per cent), and 0.3 per cent less than the whole of the UK (4.3 per cent).
