Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 3,370 people on the Isle of Wight were claiming ‘out of work benefits’ (wording defined by ONS) during March 2024 – these figures also include Universal Credit figures.
That’s a rise of 15 since February 2024, when there were 3,355 claimants, and a rise of 360 from March 2023 (3,010 JSA claimants).
Breakdown of claimants
Of those claiming in March 2024:
- 1,875 were male
- 1,495 were female
- 10 were 16-17
- 660 were aged 18 To 24
- 385 were aged 18 To 21
- 1,800 were aged 25 To 49
- 900 were aged 50+
National comparison
That means 4.3 per cent of the resident population of area aged 16-64 is claiming out of work benefits – 1.3 per cent more than the rest of the South East (3.0 per cent), and 0.4 per cent more than the whole of the UK (3.9 per cent).
