Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 3,210 people on the Isle of Wight were claiming ‘out of work benefits’ (wording defined by ONS) during April 2024 – these figures also include Universal Credit figures.
Not surprisingly as we enter the tourist season, that’s a fall of 160 since March 2024, when there were 3,370 claimants, and a fall of 320 from April 2023 (2,890 claimants).
Breakdown of claimants
Of those claiming in April 2024:
- 1,805 were male
- 1,410 were female
- 5 were 16-17
- 635 were aged 18 To 24
- 365 were aged 18 To 21
- 1,695 were aged 25 To 49
- 875 were aged 50+
National comparison
That means 4.1 per cent of the resident population of area aged 16-64 is claiming out of work benefits – 1.1 per cent more than the rest of the South East (3.0 per cent), and 0.3 per cent more than the whole of the UK (3.8 per cent).
