Corporate Research briefing paper
May 2012 Job Seekers Allowance
Background
This report analyses the number of people who were in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance
(JSA) in May 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 (4.7%) is higher than the North West
rate of (4.5%) and the national rate of 3.9%.
The rate has fallen over the last month. There are 108 fewer claimants this month
compared to April 2012, but 16 more claimants compared to May 2011.
The annual change shows no change in the number of female claimants, male
claimants increased by 0.6%. The overall number of JSA claimants increased by less
than 1%.
The claimant rate of 4.7% for Blackburn with Darwen equates to a total of 4,172
people, approximately 70.0% of whom are male.
The male claimant rate of 6.5% is twice that of females (2.9%).
In May 2012, 816 people started claiming JSA, and 923 stopped, this equates to
approximately 2% more people joining and 48% more leaving the claimant count
compared to May 2011. Compared to the previous month, both on and off-flows
decreased by 17%.
The majority of claimants over a half (54.9%) are between the ages of 25-49.
Claimants aged 25-49 have decreased by 3.2% over the year, claimants aged 50+
increased by 5.5% and 18-24 year olds by 4.8% during the same period.
Over a fifth (225) 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 560 to 915, a 158%
increase over the year.
Three wards with the highest claimant rates are Wensley Fold (9.5%), Shadsworth
with Whitebirk (9.3%) and Sudell (7.7%).
Thirteen wards have experienced a decrease in claimants over the last year and 10
have experienced an increase in the number of claimants
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).
2 Headline claimant rates
In May 2012, 4.7% of the working population in Blackburn with Darwen were claiming Job
Seekers Allowance (JSA), this is higher than the North West rate of 4.5% and the national
rate of 3.9%. The rate shows a consecutive fall for the third month
Table 1: Headline Claimant rate in Blackburn with Darwen May 2012.
Claimant rates by gender:
Total Claimants Male Claimants Female claimants
Area
N
Rate
N
Rate
N
Rate
Blackburn with Darwen
4,172
4.7
2,912
6.5
1,260
2.9
North West
200,295
4.5
138,786
6.2
61,509
2.7
Great Britain
1,528,998
3.9
1,031,894
6.3
497,104
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
6.5
Blackburn with Darwen
North West
Great Britain
6.2 6.3
5
4.7
4
4.5
Rate: % of 16-64 population
5
4
% 3
3.9
%
3
2.9
2
2
2.7
2.5
1
1
Blackburn with Darwen
North West
Great Britain
Male
Female
Source: Claimant counts, www.nomisweb.co.uk
Updated: Monthly
All People
May-07
Aug-07
Nov-07
Feb-08
May-08
Aug-08
Nov-08
Feb-09
May-09
Aug-09
Nov-09
Feb-10
May-10
Aug-10
Nov-10
Feb-11
May-11
Aug-11
Nov-11
Feb-12
May-12
0
0
Source: Claimant counts, www.nomisweb.co.uk
Updated: Monthly
The rate equates to a total of 4,172 people claiming JSA in the borough, this being made
up of 2,912 males and 1,260 females. Approximately seven out of ten claimants are male.
The claimant rate of 6.5% for males is higher than the claimant rate for females (2.9%).
3. On and off Flows
In May 2012, 816 people started claiming JSA, and 923 stopped, this equates to
approximately 2% more people joining and 48% more leaving the claimant count
compared to May 2011. Compared to the previous month, both on and off-flows
decreased by 17%.
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 May 2012 claimant rate shows that compared to the same month of the previous
year, claimants increased by 0.4% and decreased by 2.5% on the previous month.
Table 2: Monthly and annual change in claimant rates
Claimant rates by gender:
Claimants April 2012 Monthly change
Annual change
Area
N
Rate
+/+/- %
+/+/- %
Male
2,912
6.5
-84
-2.8%
16
0.6%
Female
1,260
2.9
-24
-1.9%
0.0%
Total
4,172
4.7
-108
-2.5%
16
0.4%
Source: Jobcentre Plus, Nomis
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The percentage change over the previous month shows a decrease for all groups.
Male claimants decreased by 2.8% and females by 1.9%. The overall decrease in
claimants over the month is 2.5%.
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The annual change shows no change in the number of female claimants, male
claimants increased by 0.6% during the same period. The overall number of JSA
claimants increased by 0.4%.
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 a decrease in the number of claimants within the
borough by 2.5% or 108, this is reflected in a decrease in both the male and female
claimant rates. 80% of this decrease is for 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. Over the last 3 months the claimant count show decrease for all genders.
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 (54.9%) are between the ages of 25-49. Claimants
aged 25-49 have decreased by 3.2% over the year, the largest increase in claimants is for
those aged 50+ increasing by 5.5% or 30 since May 2011. Claimants aged 18-24 increased
by 60 or 4.8% over the same period.
Fig 3: JSA Claimants by age
Fig 4. JSA Claimants by duration
Compared to April 2012, there has been a decrease in the number of claimants by 110,
the decrease is equally split between those aged 18-24 and 25-49.
Table 3: Age and duration of job seekers allowance claimants in Blackburn with Darwen
May 2012.
Age of blackburn with Darwen JSA claimants
Claimants
Annual change
Age
N
%
+/+/- %
Aged 18-24
1,300
31.2%
60
4.8%
Aged 25-49
2,285
54.9%
-75
-3.2%
Aged 50+
580
13.9%
30
5.5%
Duration of Blackburn with Darwen JSA Claimants
Claimants
Duration
N
%
Up to 6 months
2,350
56.4%
Over 6 months and up to 12 months
900
21.6%
Over 12 months
915
22.0%
+/-640
95
560
Annual change
+/- %
-21.4%
11.8%
157.7%
Figures rounded up or down
Source: Claimant counts, www.nomisweb.co.uk
Updated: Monthly
Fifty-six percent of claimants have been receiving the benefit for 6 months or less.
However 915 or a fifth 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 a fifth over the
year, while those claiming for 6-12 months increased by 12%. Those claiming for over 12
months increased by 560 or 158%.
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.
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 915 long term claimants in Blackburn with Darwen (just over a fifth of all
claimants), up by 45 on the previous month and 560 annually. Those claiming for 12
months or more have doubled increasing by over 158% since May 2011 and by 5.2% on
the previous month.
The graph below shows long term claimants by age.
18-24 year old long term claimants have increased from 5 in April 2011 to 140 in
May 2012, an increase of 135 over the year. Long term claimants aged 25-49 have
more than doubled (116% - 270 to 585) and long term claimants aged 50+ have
increased by 137% (80 to 190). Two thirds of long term are aged 25-49, a fifth are aged
50+ and 15% 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.
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 1,300 young claimants aged 18-24 in Blackburn with Darwen (A third of
all claimants). The JSA claimant rate for 18-24 year olds (9.4%) is historically higher than the
regional (8.6%) and national average (7.5%).
Claimants aged 18-24 have decreased by 4.1% or 55 over the previous month but
increased by 4.8% or 60 over the year.
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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61.2% of claimants aged 18-24 were claiming for six months or less and over a
quarter (28.1%) between 6-12 months.
18-24 year olds claiming for six months or less decreased by 24.3% or 255 over
the year and by 6% or 50 over the month. Those claiming for 6-12 months
doubled increasing by 180 or 365 over the year but decreasing by 6.4% or 25
over the month.
Those claiming for 12+ months increased by 135 from 5 to 1405 over the year, an
increase of 2700%, and by 12% or 15 over the month.
Table 4: 18-24 year old claimant by duration in Blackburn with Darwen
May 2012.
Duration of blackburn with Darwen JSA claimants
Claimants
Annual change
Age
N
%
+/+/- %
< 6 months
795
61.2%
-255
-24.3%
6-12 months
365
28.1%
180
97.3%
12+ months
140
10.8%
135
2700%
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 1 in 8 or 13.9% of all JSA claimants. Over a half of all 50+
claimants (50.9%) are aged 55-59, two fifths are aged 50-54. In total these two sub-groups
make up 91.4% of all the 50+ claimants. A small minority (8.6%) are aged 60 or over.
Table 5: JSA Claimants aged 50+
Claimants
Age
N
%
Annual change
+/+/- %
50-54
295
50.9%
-25
-7.8%
55-59
60 or over
235
50
40.5%
8.6%
35
20
17.5%
66.7%
Figures rounded up or down
Source: Claimant counts, www.nomisweb.co.uk
Updated: Monthly
Over the year 50-54 year old claimants decreased by 7.8%, those aged 55-59. increased
by 18%. Those aged over 60 increased by 20, a 67% increase. Over the month, there was
no change in the number of claimants aged 50+.
(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
6.0
303
-1.6%
-5.3%
Bastwell
5.4
252
-8.0%
-1.6%
Beardwood with Lammack
1.4
50
-7.4%
19.0%
Corporation Park
4.4
191
1.6%
1.1%
Earcroft
4.2
111
-0.9%
-8.3%
East Rural
1.2
15
25.0%
0.0%
Ewood
5.1
213
-15.5%
-9.7%
Fernhurst
1.6
65
4.8%
-9.7%
Higher Croft
5.2
245
-4.3%
-5.8%
Little Harwood
4.6
178
-8.2%
-2.7%
Livesey with Pleasington
1.9
75
21.0%
-2.6%
Marsh House
3.5
139
13.0%
-4.8%
Meadowhead
4.7
162
-7.4%
-3.0%
Mill Hill
6.3
257
-5.5%
-1.5%
North Turton with Tockholes
0.9
26
-25.7%
0.0%
Queen's Park
6.1
226
1.8%
3.7%
Roe Lee
2.7
96
-5.9%
-1.0%
Shadsworth with Whitebirk
9.3
452
9.7%
-5.2%
Shear Brow
4.6
210
6.1%
0.5%
Sudell
7.7
315
11.7%
1.6%
Sunnyhurst
3.5
129
-12.2%
-9.8%
Wensley Fold
9.5
410
17.1%
1.2%
Whitehall
2.0
52
-18.8%
4.0%
Total
4.7
303
0.4%
-2.5%
May 2012
Source: Claimant counts, www.nomisweb.co.uk
Updated: Monthly
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Three wards with the highest claimant rates are Wensley Fold (9.5%), Shadsworth
with Whitebirk (9.3%) and Sudell (7.7%).
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In total, two wards East Rural and Livesey with Pleasington have experienced
increases in the claimant count of 20% or more over the year.

Thirteen wards have experienced a decrease in claimants over the last year, the
largest decrease has been in North Turton with Tockholes and Whitehall.
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).