The variety of common credit score (UC) claimants has soared to eight.3 million individuals – up from 7.2 million on the identical time final yr, new authorities figures present.
That may be a 1.1 million improve within the house of a yr, and is the most important annual rise in whole claimants since early within the COVID pandemic – the 12 months to April 2021.
UC is a cost to assist with residing prices and is accessible for individuals in work who’re on low incomes, in addition to those that are out of labor or can not work.
There has additionally been a pointy rise within the variety of individuals claiming UC who’ve “no work requirements”.
4 million individuals have been on this class in October, up from 2.9 million individuals a yr in the past, statistics from the Division for Work and Pensions present.
Claimants within the “no work requirements” bracket are individuals in full-time schooling, over the state pension age, with a baby aged beneath one, and who’re thought-about to don’t have any prospect of labor – they make up 48.7% of all claimants.
Different claimants should do sure work-related actions to obtain the UC profit, akin to attending interviews to plan for his or her return to work or be actively trying to find work.
The variety of individuals within the trying to find work class stood at 1.6 million in October, and the variety of working individuals on UC stood at 2.2 million final month – each unchanged year-on-year.
The federal government has beforehand mentioned it “inherited a broken welfare system and spiralling, unsustainable benefits bill” from the Conservatives, and is engaged on reforms together with tightening guidelines on who can declare UC.
The brand new knowledge on the massive improve in UC claimants comes on the day it was introduced that the unemployment charge has risen to five% within the three months to September – the best charge for the reason that pandemic in 2020.
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They accounted for 84.3% of all UC claimants in October, up from 82.9% in October 2024 – and of those, 99.9% have been UK residents and round a 3rd (32%) have been in employment.
9.2% of claimants have EU Settled Standing within the UK, which is down from 10.4% a yr in the past.
And a couple of.6% have been individuals who had indefinite go away to stay within the UK, up from 2.2% the earlier yr.
Refugees accounted for 1.5% of UC claimants, which is unchanged from the identical level final yr.
A DWP spokesperson mentioned: “The number of people receiving universal credit has been increasing as we have invited tens of thousands of people each month to move from legacy benefits as they become phased out.
“We’re decided to get extra individuals off welfare and into work. That is why we’re stepping up our plan to Get Britain Working with probably the most formidable employment reforms in a technology. This contains modernising jobcentres and offering tailor-made help by the Hook up with Work programme.
“Every eligible young person who has been on universal credit for 18 months without earning or learning will also be offered guaranteed paid work through our Youth Guarantee.”
