Corporate Research briefing paper
June 2012 Job Seekers Allowance
Background
This report analyses the number of people who were in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance
(JSA) in June 2012.
The unemployment figures presented in this monitor are published by the Office for
National Statistics (ONS) each month. Claimant unemployment percentages are
calculated by dividing the number of claimants by the number of local authority area
residents aged 16-64. This claimant count measure was introduced in January 2003 and
replaced the previous measure based on workforce rates.
Unemployment is often measured by the uptake of Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) benefit.
This takes into account those who are unemployed and seeking employment but not
people who are unemployed and not seeking work.
NB: The population figures used to calculate residence-based proportions (rates) have changed
from working age (16-59f/64m) to aged 16-64 for both males and females. This change affects
rates for all dates. So rates for all dates will differ to those downloaded previously.
1. Summary
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The claimant rate in Blackburn with Darwen (4.8%) is higher than the North West
rate of (4.4%) and the national rate of 3.8%.
The rate has risen over the last month. There are 71 more claimants this month
compared to May 2012, but 183 more claimants compared to June 2011.
The annual change shows 3.6% more female claimants, male claimants increased
by 4.9%. The overall number of JSA claimants increased by 4.5%.
The claimant rate of 4.8% for Blackburn with Darwen equates to a total of 4,243
people, approximately 70.0% of whom are male.
The male claimant rate of 6.6% is higher than that of females (3.0%).
In June 2012, 1,030 people started claiming JSA, and 1,112 stopped, this equates to
approximately 40% more people joining but only 14% more leaving the claimant
count compared to June 2011. Compared to the previous month on-flows
increased by a third and off-flows by approximately 12%.
The majority of claimants over a half (54.7%) are between the ages of 25-49.
Claimants aged 25-49 have decreased by 10 or 0.4% over the year, claimants
aged 50+ increased by 9.9% and 18-24 year olds by 12.0% during the same period.
Approximately 22.3% of claimants have been claiming for over 12 months and are
classed as ‘long term unemployed’.
Long term claimants have more than doubled, increasing by 585 to 945, a 162%
increase over the year.
Shadsworth with Whitebirk, Livesey with Pleasington, Wensley Fold and Sudell have
all experienced increases in the claimant count of 15% or more.
Eight wards have experienced a decrease in claimants over the last year, with the
largest decrease in East Rural.
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).
2 Headline claimant rates
In June 2012, 4.8% of the working population in Blackburn with Darwen were claiming Job
Seekers Allowance (JSA), this is higher than the regional rate of 4.4% and the national rate
of 3.8%. The Blackburn with Darwen rate increased over the last month, bucking the trend
seen over the previous three months which saw claimants rate fall. The regional and
national rates continue to fall.
Table 1: Headline Claimant rate in Blackburn with Darwen June 2012.
Claimant rates by gender:
Total Claimants Male Claimants Female claimants
Area
N
Rate
N
Rate
N
Rate
Blackburn with Darwen
4,243
4.8
2,953
6.6
1,290
3.0
North West
197,599
4.4
135,350
6.0
62,249
2.8
Great Britain
1,502,357
3.8
1,003,506
5.1
498,851
2.5
Source: Claimant Count, Nomis
Figure 1 illustrates current JSA claimant rates by gender for May 2012.
Figure 2: Claimant Rate trends
Figure 1: JSA Claimant Rate
Rate as a proportion of the 16-64 population
7
6
6
6.6
Blackburn with Darwen
North West
Great Britain
6
5
5.1
4.8
4
%
4.4
Rate: % of 16-64 population
5
4
% 3
3.8
3
3
2
2
2.8
2.5
1
1
Blackburn with Darwen
North West
Great Britain
Male
Female
Source: Claimant counts, www.nomisweb.co.uk
Updated: Monthly
All People
Jun-07
Sep-07
Dec-07
Mar-08
Jun-08
Sep-08
Dec-08
Mar-09
Jun-09
Sep-09
Dec-09
Mar-10
Jun-10
Sep-10
Dec-10
Mar-11
Jun-11
Sep-11
Dec-11
Mar-12
Jun-12
0
0
Source: Claimant counts, www.nomisweb.co.uk
Updated: Monthly
The rate equates to a total of 4,243 people claiming JSA in the borough, this being made
up of 2,953 males and 1,290 females. Approximately seven out of ten claimants are male.
The claimant rate of 6.6% for males is higher than the claimant rate for females (3.0%).
3. On and off Flows
In June 2012, 1,030 people started claiming JSA, and 1,112 stopped, this equates to
approximately 40% more people joining but only 14% more leaving the claimant count
compared to June 2011. Compared to the previous month on-flows increased by a third
and off-flows by approximately 12%.
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).
Figure 3: On-flows and Off-flows to Claimant Count
Source: Claimant counts, www.nomisweb.co.uk
Updated: Monthly
4. Change over time
The June 2012 claimant rate shows an annual increase of 4.5% and a monthly increase of
1.7%.
Table 2: Monthly and annual change in claimant rates
Claimant rates by gender:
Claimants June 2012 Monthly change
Annual change
Area
N
Rate
+/+/- %
+/+/- %
Male
2,953
6.6
+41
1.4%
+138
4.9
Female
1,290
3.0
+30
2.4%
+45
3.6
Total
4,243
4.8
+71
1.7%
+183
4.5
Source: Jobcentre Plus, Nomis
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The percentage change over the previous month shows an increase for all groups.
Male claimants decreased by 1.4% and females by 2.4%. The overall decrease in
claimants over the month is 1.7%.
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The annual change also shows an increase for all groups. Male claimants increased
by 4.9% and females by 3.6%. The overall number of JSA claimants increased by
4.5%.
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).
The graph below trends claimant rate by gender
Over the last month there has been an increase in the number of claimants within the
borough by 4.5% or 183. This is reflected in an increase for both the male and female
claimant rates. Three quarters of this increase is accounted for by males.
The graph below shows claimant count figures by gender indexed to January 2006, it can
be seen that female claimant count rate rose sharply after February 2008 and has
increased at a faster rate than that for males and continues to be at a higher level than
for males.
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).
5. Age and duration of job seekers allowance claimants and claims
The majority of claimants over a half (54.7%) are between the ages of 25-49. Claimants
aged 25-49 have decreased by 0.4% over the year, the largest increase in claimants is for
those aged 18-24 increasing by 12.0% or 140 since June 2011. Claimants aged 50+
increased by 55 or 9.9% over the same period.
Fig 3: JSA Claimants by age
Fig 4. JSA Claimants by duration
Compared to May 2012, there are 71 more claimants, three fifths of these new claimants
are male.
Table 3: Age and duration of job seekers allowance claimants in Blackburn with Darwen
June 2012.
Age of blackburn with Darwen JSA claimants
Claimants
Annual change
Age
N
%
+/+/- %
Aged 18-24
1,310
30.9%
140
12.0%
Aged 25-49
2,320
54.7%
-10
-0.4%
Aged 50+
610
14.4%
55
9.9%
Duration of Blackburn with Darwen JSA Claimants
Claimants
Duration
N
%
Up to 6 months
2,420
57.0%
Over 6 months and up to 12 months
880
20.7%
Over 12 months
945
22.3%
Annual change
+/+/- %
-460
-16.0%
65
8.0%
585
162.5%
Figures rounded up or down
Source: Claimant counts, www.nomisweb.co.uk
Updated: Monthly
Fifty-seven percent of claimants have been receiving the benefit for 6 months or less.
However 945 or 22% claim for over 12 months and are classed as ‘long term unemployed’.
The number of claimants claiming for 6 months or less has decreased by 16.0% over the
year, while those claiming for 6-12 months increased by 8.0%. Those claiming for over 12
months increased by 585, from 380 to 945, an increase of 163%. For the first time we are
seeing the number claiming for 12+ months overtake those who have been claiming for
between 6-12 months.
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).
The graph below shows claimant by age and by duration, indexed to January
2006, both show sharp increases over last eight month period relative to January
2006 especially for those aged 18-24 and for long term claimants.
Figure 5: Claimants by age (Jan06=100)
Figure 6: Claimants by duration (Jan06=100)
Source: Claimant counts, www.nomisweb.co.uk
Updated: Monthly
Source: Claimant counts, www.nomisweb.co.uk
Updated: Monthly
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).
6. Long term claimants (over 12 months)
People claiming JSA for 12 months or more are classed as long term unemployed. There
are currently 945 long term claimants in Blackburn with Darwen (22% of all claimants), up
by 30 on the previous month and 585 annually. Those claiming for 12 months or more have
doubled increasing by over 163% since June 2011 and by 3.3% on the previous month.
The graph below shows long term claimants by age.
There were 5 long terms claimants aged 18-24 in June 2011, these have now
increased to 155 in June 2012, an increase of 150 over the year. Long term
claimants aged 25-49 have more than doubled (113% - 280 to 595) and long term
claimants aged 50+ have increased by 160% (75 to 195).
Sixty-three percent of long term claimants are aged 25-49, a fifth are aged 50+ and 16%
are aged 18-24. The proportion of claimants aged 18-24 have increased from 13% in
March 2012 to 14.4% in April to 15.3% in May, increasing further to 16.3% in June 2012.
The general trend is that long term claimants (12+ months) for each age group are
increasing with 25-49 year olds experiencing the sharpest increase.
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).
7. Youth unemployment (aged 18-24)
There are currently 1,310 young claimants aged 18-24 in Blackburn with Darwen (31% of all
claimants). The JSA claimant rate for 18-24 year olds (9.4%) is historically higher than the
regional (8.3%) and national average (7.3%).
Claimants aged 18-24 have increased by 12% or 140 annually and by 0.8% or 10 since last
month.
The graphs below show 18-24 year old claimants by duration, the same data is also
indexed to January 2006. The graphs show those claiming for 6 months or less decreasing,
while those claiming for 6-12 months and 12+ months increasing.
The indexed data shows 18-24 year old claimants claiming for 6-12 months and 12+
months grew at a faster rate than those claiming for less than 6 months.
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61.8% of claimants aged 18-24 were claiming for six months or less and over a
quarter (26.3%) between 6-12 months.
18-24 year olds claiming for six months or less decreased by 21.0% or 215 over
the year but increased by 1.9% or 15 over the month. Those claiming for 6-12
months doubled increasing by 205 or 146% over the year but decreased by 5.5%
or 20 over the month.
Those claiming for 12+ months increased by 150 from 5 to 1555 over the year, an
increase of 3000%, and by 10.7 or 15 over the month.
Table 4: 18-24 year old claimant by duration in Blackburn with Darwen
June 2012.
Duration of blackburn with Darwen JSA claimants
Claimants
Annual change
Age
N
%
+/+/- %
< 6 months
810
61.8%
-215
-21.0%
6-12 months
345
26.3%
205
146.4%
12+ months
155
11.8%
150
3000%
Figures rounded up or down
Source: Claimant counts, www.nomisweb.co.uk
Updated: Monthly
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).
8. Claimants aged 50+
Those aged 50+ make up approximately 14% of all JSA claimants. Over a half of all 50+
claimants (52.1%) are aged 50-54, two fifths are aged 55-59. In total these two sub-groups
make up 91.7% of all the 50+ claimants. A small minority (8.3%) are aged 60 or over.
Table 5: JSA Claimants aged 50+
Claimants
Age
N
%
Annual change
+/+/- %
50-54
315
52.1%
+5
1.6%
55-59
60 or over
240
50
39.7%
8.3%
+30
+20
14.3%
66.7%
Figures rounded up or down
Source: Claimant counts, www.nomisweb.co.uk
Updated: Monthly
Over the year 50-54 year old claimants increased by approximately 2%, those aged 55-59
increased by 14.3%. Those aged over 60 increased by 20, a 67% increase. 50+ claimants
increased by 5% over the month.
(NB, the percentage change for 60+ is based on small numbers).
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).
9. Job seekers allowance claimant rates across Blackburn with Darwen wards.
Rate
Claimants
Annual
Change
Monthly
change
Audley
6.3
321
4.2%
5.9%
Bastwell
5.6
259
-3.7%
2.8%
Beardwood with Lammack
1.4
49
6.5%
-2.0%
Corporation Park
4.5
193
2.1%
1.0%
Earcroft
4.5
121
2.5%
9.0%
East Rural
0.8
10
-23.1%
-33.3%
Ewood
5.1
212
-10.5%
-0.5%
Fernhurst
1.6
64
-13.5%
-1.5%
Higher Croft
5.3
249
0.8%
1.6%
Little Harwood
4.4
170
-8.1%
-4.5%
Livesey with Pleasington
2.1
85
16.4%
13.3%
Marsh House
3.3
133
3.1%
-4.3%
Meadowhead
4.8
167
8.4%
3.1%
Mill Hill
6.4
264
-0.4%
2.7%
North Turton with Tockholes
0.7
20
-41.2%
-23.1%
Queen's Park
6.3
235
12.4%
4.0%
Roe Lee
2.9
105
7.1%
9.4%
Shadsworth with Whitebirk
9.4
460
18.9%
1.8%
Shear Brow
4.8
220
6.8%
4.8%
Sudell
7.6
311
14.8%
-1.3%
Sunnyhurst
3.8
142
2.9%
10.1%
Wensley Fold
9.3
403
16.1%
-1.7%
Whitehall
1.9
50
-20.6%
-3.8%
Total
4.8
4,243
4.5%
1.7%
June 2012
Source: Claimant counts, www.nomisweb.co.uk
Updated: Monthly
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Three wards with the highest claimant rates are Wensley Fold (9.3%), Shadsworth
with Whitebirk (9.4%) and Sudell (7.6%).

Shadsworth with Whitebirk, Livesey with Pleasington, Wensley Fold and Sudell have
all experienced increases in the claimant count of 15% or more.

Eight wards have experienced a decrease in claimants over the last year, with the
largest decrease in East Rural.
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).
Further information
This briefing was prepared by: Saeed Patel
Research and Intelligence Officer
Corporate Research Joint Intelligence
3rd Floor Old Town Hall
saeed.patel@blackburn.gov.uk
01254 58(5106)
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).