Unemployment Claimant Count in Surrey

This page includes a dashboard of Unemployment Claimant Count in Surrey.

The below Tableau dashboard is also available on Tableau Public.

The Claimant Count measures the number of people claiming benefit principally for the reason of being unemployed. Universal Credit was phased in across the country from May 2013 and introduced in Surrey in February 2016. This dataset includes all Universal Credit claimants who are required to seek work and be available for work, as well as all Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) claimants.

The Claimant Count includes people who claim unemployment-related benefits but who do not receive payment. For example, some claimants will have had their benefits stopped for a limited period of time by Jobcentre Plus. Some people claim JSA in order to receive National Insurance Credits.

Please note: From January 2026, the Unemployment Claimant LSOA dataset will report figures using the 2021-based LSOA geographies.

Highlights June 2026 (May 2026 release):

• There were approximately 18,380 unemployment claimants recorded in Surrey in May 2026. This represents a 1.3% increase or 240 more claimants compared to the previous month.

• Year-on-Year data shows that February 2026 recorded a 5.8% increase compared to the same period in 2025 (+1000 claimants).

• Around 46% of claimants in Surrey were Females (8,455).

• 6 in 10 claimants were residents aged 25 to 49 (10,230 claimants).

• At unitary Authority level, 58% of claimants were located in West Surrey (10,635) and 42% in East Surrey (7,745).

• Spelthorne remains as the district with the largest number of claimants with approximately 2,485 (13.5% of total claims across Surrey).

• The second largest number of claimants was recorded in Reigate and Banstead with 2,215 (12.1% of total claims).

• Mole Valley had the lowest number of claimants from all Districts/Boroughs with 975 (5.3% of total claims).

• There seems to be a seasonal increase in claimants starting in May and during the summer months.

• At LSOA level, both Woking 004G and Spelthorne 003E and Guildford 013C registered the largest number of claimants, all with over 120.

• In this occasion, there were 6 LSOAs which did not record any claimants, one located in Guildford, Mole Valley, and Waverley.

• The median average number of claimants in Surrey LSOAs is 20, the minimum was 5 and the Maximum 125.

Source:

Extracted from Nomis: Claimant Count - Data Sources - home - Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics (nomisweb.co.uk)

Frequency: Month

Please note:

• Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.

• Figures are not seasonally adjusted.

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