Figures published by the Office for National Statistics show that 2,625 people on the Isle of Wight were claiming ‘out of work benefits’ (wording defined by ONS) during September 2023 – these figures also include Universal Credit figures.
That’s a rise of 45 since August 2023, when there were 2,580 claimants, and a rise of 80 from September 2022 (2,545 JSA claimants).
Breakdown of claimants
Of those claiming in September 2023:
- 1,475 were male
- 1,150 were female
- 10 were 16-17
- 485 were aged 18 To 24
- 280 were aged 18 To 21
- 1,450 were aged 25 To 49
- 680 were aged 50+
National comparison
That means 3.3 per cent of the resident population of area aged 16-64 is claiming out of work benefits – 0.5 per cent more than the rest of the South East (2.8 per cent), and 0.4 per cent less than the whole of the UK (3.7 per cent).
