Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 3,050 people on the Isle of Wight were claiming ‘out of work benefits’ (wording defined by ONS) during May 2024 – these figures also include Universal Credit figures.
Not surprisingly, as with last month and as we enter the tourist season, that’s a fall of 160 since April 2024, when there were 3,210 claimants, and a rise of 370 from May 2023 (2,680 claimants).
Breakdown of claimants
Of those claiming in May 2024:
- 1,705 were male
- 1,340 were female
- 5 were 16-17
- 580 were aged 18 To 24
- 330 were aged 18 To 21
- 1,595 were aged 25 To 49
- 865 were aged 50+
National comparison
That means 3.9 per cent of the resident population of area aged 16-64 is claiming out of work benefits – 0.9 per cent more than the rest of the South East (3.0 per cent), and the same as the whole of the UK (3.9 per cent).
