The number of unemployed claimants in Dagenham and Rainham constituency in October 2020 was 6,330. This represents a rate of 9.1% of the economically active population aged 16 to 64. The equivalent UK claimant rate was 6.3%.
There are 3,595 more claimants than in March 2020 before the UK lockdown began and 115 less claimants than September 2020.
Figures are not seasonally adjusted and are rounded to the nearest five. "Unemployed claimants" include people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or who are claiming Universal Credit and are required to seek work.
Long term trends
The unadjusted claimant count is currently not a good indicator of long- term trends in the number of people looking for work. It does however provide us with a measure of how the number of claimants has changed in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The adjusted alternative claimant count is updated on a quarterly basis. They are currently available up to May 2020 and will be next updated in October 2020.
The ongoing impact of coronavirus on Universal Credit
Under Universal Credit, a broader spectrum of people are required to look for work than under Jobseeker's Allowance. This has the effect of increasing the number of unemployed claimants. In addition to this, as part of the government's response to Coronavirus (COVID-19), a number of enhancements were introduced to Universal Credit. Consequently, whilst some of the increase in the unemployed claimant count will be due to people who have become unemployed, some will also be due to employed people who have become eligible for Universal Credit as part of the government response to Coronavirus.
Jon Cruddas MP: "these are unprecedented times. We knew that there would be economic repercussions to lockdown with businesses having to adapt to safety guidelines, and many did not get the support they needed from government to survive. Couple with that changing work practices where many are now based at home leaving offices in the City empty, and that translates into job losses for the lowest paid, most economically vulnerable workers."
"Whilst there were fewer people seeking support in October than September, with the second lockdown now in force I am under no illusions that this will change again when we get the statistics next month. However, it is worth noting that there is lots of investment due for Dagenham and Rainham in the coming months and years which will bring more local jobs and opportunities for local people."