Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 2,945 people on the Isle of Wight were claiming ‘out of work benefits’ (wording defined by ONS) during June 2024 – these figures also include Universal Credit figures.
Not surprisingly, now the tourist season is underway, that’s a fall of 105 since May 2024, when there were 3,050 claimants, and a rise of 335 from June 2023 (2,610 claimants).
Breakdown of claimants
Of those claiming in June 2024:
- 1,660 were male
- 1,285 were female
- 5 were 16-17
- 530 were aged 18 To 24
- 315 were aged 18 To 21
- 1,585 were aged 25 To 49
- 825 were aged 50+
National comparison
That means 3.7 per cent of the resident population of area aged 16-64 is claiming out of work benefits – 0.7 per cent more than the rest of the South East (3.0 per cent), and 0.3 per cent less than the whole of the UK (4.0 per cent).
