Out of work benefits

Claimants of unemployment related benefits including Employment and Support Allowance and other incapacity benefits, and Income Support and Pension Credit.

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Claimant Count : K02000001 UK : People : SA : Thousands

1,694.3

2026 MAR

Release date:
21 April 2026
Next release:
19 May 2026
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Labour market overview, UK: April 2026

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  • Estimates for payrolled employees in the UK fell by 74,000 (0.2%) between February 2025 and February 2026, and decreased by 6,000 (0.0%) between January and February 2026. This is based on administrative data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
  • When looking at December 2025 to February 2026, the period comparable with our Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates, the number of payrolled employees fell by 87,000 (0.3%) over the year and by 9,000 (0.0%) over the quarter.
  • The early estimate of payrolled employees for March 2026 decreased by 65,000 (0.2%) on the year, and by 11,000 (0.0%) on the month, to 30.3 million. The March 2026 estimate should be treated as a provisional estimate and is likely to be revised when more data are received next month. Information on revisions to payrolled employees is published monthly. We have published analysis of recent revisions in our LFS quality update: January 2026 article.
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