Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 3,135 people on the Isle of Wight were claiming ‘out of work benefits’ (wording defined by ONS) during July 2024 – these figures also include Universal Credit figures.
This is a surprising figure given the tourist season is underway, indicating a rise of 190 since June 2024, when there were 2,945 claimants, and a rise of 600 from July 2023 (2,535 claimants).
Breakdown of claimants
Of those claiming in July 2024:
- 1,700 were male
- 1,435 were female
- 5 were 16-17
- 525 were aged 18 To 24
- 310 were aged 18 To 21
- 1,740 were aged 25 To 49
- 865 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 – 0.7 per cent more than the rest of the South East (3.3 per cent), and 0.3 per cent less than the whole of the UK (4.3 per cent).
