People claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance
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- 1. Navigate to Main facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toPeople claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance by ethnicity section
- 3. Navigate toPeople claiming Jobseeker's Allowance by ethnicity over time section
- 4. Navigate toPeople claiming Jobseeker's Allowance by ethnicity and area section
- 5. Navigate to Methodology section
- 6. Navigate to Data sources section
- 7. Navigate to Download the data section
1. Main facts and figures
- overall in 2017, 1.0% of White people (including White ethnic minorities) in England and Wales claimed Jobseeker’s Allowance, compared with 1.6% of people from all other ethnic groups combined
- in all regions in 2017, the percentage of White people claiming JSA was lower than that of people from all other ethnic groups combined
- the percentage of White people claiming JSA was lowest in the East, South West and South East (at 0.7% in all three regions); for those from all other ethnic groups combined, it was lowest in the South East (0.8%)
- the North East had the highest percentage of White people claiming JSA (1.9%), and the West Midlands had the highest percentage of people from all other ethnic groups claiming JSA (2.6%)
- for 2017, percentages for White claimants and claimants from all other ethnic groups combined are underestimated, as the ethnicity of 3.2% of JSA claimants was not known
Things you need to know
The population figures used for this data are estimates based on the 2011 Census held in England and Wales.
The Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimant figures are based on Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) administrative data. They are the average number of claimants per month in each year. They exclude claims where the claimants' application details only exist on paper, not on a centralised computer system. Applications may not be on the system for a variety of reasons, such as missing or incomplete information. These are known as ‘non-computerised clerical claims’, and make up approximately 1% of all claims.
The 2011 Census does not include an option for people who prefer not to state their ethnicity, while JSA claimants can choose not to do so. As a result, the figures shown for White and all other ethnic groups may be lower than the actual totals because figures for unreported ethnicity are not included in those groups. In 2017, ethnicity was unreported for 3.2% of JSA claimants.
Figures for 'All' ethnic groups include JSA claimants whose ethnicity is unreported, so the sum of White and all other ethnic groups does not equal the total for all claimants.
What the data measures
This data measures the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) as a percentage of the total working-age population.
A person who is working age (aged 16 to 64 years) can usually claim JSA if they:
- are available for work
- are actively seeking work
- work on average less than 16 hours per week
- are not in full-time education
- meet certain conditions if they are aged 16 to 17 years
- are not in an area where they would claim Universal Credit
As Universal Credit replaces income-related JSA, the number of JSA claimants will fall.
The ethnic categories used in this data
Two different sources were used for these figures: Department for Work and Pensions administrative data, and population estimates based on the 2011 Census.
These data sources don’t collect ethnicity information in the same way and, as a result, the figures cannot be split into detailed ethnic categories.
Therefore, the data is broken down into the following 2 broad groups:
- White – White ethnic groups (including White British and White ethnic minorities)
- Other – all other ethnic minorities
People whose ethnicity is 'Unreported' (because their ethnicity was not recorded or they chose not to state their ethnicity) are counted in measurements for ‘All’ groups. However they are not counted where data is broken down by White and Other.
2. People claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance by ethnicity
| Ethnicity | % | Number of claimants |
|---|---|---|
| All | 1.1 | 407,620 |
| White | 1.0 | 296,288 |
| Other than White | 1.6 | 94,899 |
Download table data for ‘People claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance by ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘People claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance by ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of People claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance People claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance by ethnicity Summary
This data shows that:
- overall in 2017, 1.0% of White people in England and Wales claimed claimed Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), compared with 1.6% of people from all other ethnic groups combined (shown as ‘Other than White’ in charts and tables)
- percentages for White claimants and claimants from all other ethnic groups are underestimates, as the ethnicity of 3.2% of JSA claimants was not known
3. People claiming Jobseeker's Allowance by ethnicity over time
| Ethnicity | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| White | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| Other than White | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 1.6 |
Download table data for ‘People claiming Jobseeker's Allowance by ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘People claiming Jobseeker's Allowance by ethnicity over time’ (CSV)
Summary of People claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance People claiming Jobseeker's Allowance by ethnicity over time Summary
This data shows that:
- between 2012 and 2017, the percentage of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) fell each year for both the White ethnic group and all other ethnic groups combined – this is likely to be a result of both economic factors and income-related JSA being gradually replaced by Universal Credit
- in every year from 2011 to 2017, the percentage of White people claiming JSA was consistently lower than the percentage of people from all other ethnic groups combined
- the gap between the percentages of White people and those from all other ethnic groups combined claiming JSA narrowed each year, from 1.2 percentage points in 2011 to 0.6 percentage points in 2017
- the percentages for White claimants and claimants from all other ethnic groups are underestimates, as the ethnicity of some JSA claimants was not known during the period studied
4. People claiming Jobseeker's Allowance by ethnicity and area
| Ethnicity | All | East | East Midlands | London | North East | North West | South East | South West | Wales | West Midlands | Yorkshire and The Humber |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| White | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Other than White | 1.6 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
Download table data for ‘People claiming Jobseeker's Allowance by ethnicity and area’ (CSV) Source data for ‘People claiming Jobseeker's Allowance by ethnicity and area’ (CSV)
Summary of People claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance People claiming Jobseeker's Allowance by ethnicity and area Summary
This data shows that:
- across all regions in England in 2017, the percentage of White people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) was less than the percentage of those from all other ethnic groups combined
- the largest difference between the percentage of White people claiming JSA and the percentage of people from all other ethnic groups was in the West Midlands (at 1.4 percentage points), and the smallest difference was in the South East and the North East (both at 0.1 percentage points)
- the percentages for White claimants and claimants from all other ethnic groups are underestimates, as the ethnicity of some JSA claimants was not known during the period studied
5. Methodology
The population counts (the denominators) are estimates based on the 2011 England and Wales Census.
Claimant figures used are the average number of claimants per month in each year. (Mid-year or end-year counts would give different percentages because of fluctuations in the JSA claimant count across the year.)
The number of people claiming JSA has been drawn from administrative datasets held by the Department for Work and Pensions. JSA claimant counts are published monthly.
Rounding
JSA claimant counts are rounded to the nearest 5. Percentages are rounded to the nearest 0.1%.
Related publications
Jobseeker's Allowance stocks and flows by ethnicity, age and duration
6. Data sources
Source
Type of data
Survey data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Office for National Statistics
Publication frequency
Every 10 years
Purpose of data source
The Census takes place every 10 years. Census data gives the government the information it needs to plan and run public services. It is also used as a benchmark for other statistical estimates, and can help illustrate differences between various groups in the population.
Secondary source
Job Seeker's Allowance on NOMIS
Type of data
Administrative data
Type of statistic
Official statistics
Publisher
Department for Work and Pensions
Publication frequency
Monthly
Purpose of data source
The data is an administrative source collected to enable Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to monitor and report on claims for Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and other benefits.
7. Download the data
This file contains data for the years 2011 to 2017. This is the latest data available. This file contains the following: year, region, ethnicity, numerator, denominator and rate.