Proportion of Londoners aged 16-64 receiving out-of-work benefits by benefit type (2014-2023 Q2)
12.9% of working-age Londoners are out-of-work and on benefits - a slight increase since last year (12.2%).
The number of out-of-work benefit claimants aged 16-64 jumped in 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, peaking at 14.7% in 2021.
The types of benefits claimed by those out of work has also changed in recent years, as Universal Credit has rolled out across the capital. For example, 0.7% of working-age Londoners were out of work and claiming Universal Credit in 2016. By 2023, this proportion had risen to 9.7% of the working-age population.
Compared to the rest of England
London has a slightly smaller proportion of its working-age population on out-of-work benefits than the rest of England - 12.9% compared to 13.1%. This was also the trend pre-pandemic - from 2013-2018, the proportion of the working-age population on out-of-work benefits was higher in the rest of England. During the pandemic, the trend was reversed. In 2020 and 2021, London had a slightly higher proportion of its working-age population on out-of-work benefits than the rest of England.