Number of Universal Credit claimants hits record 8.4million high – as amount of working households falls

UNIVERSAL credit claimants in Britain has skyrocketed again to a record high of 8.4million – as the number of working households falls. The shocking figure is up 700,000 from the same time last year, despite Labour’s pledge to “get Brits working”. It means the number of claimants is now at the highest level it has been since the introduction of Universal Credit (UC) in 2013. But while the benefits caseload across the country has spiralled, the share of claimants in work has worryingly dropped. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Just 3.1million claimants were in employment in April 2026, which is just over a third (37.7 per cent) of all people on UC. A year earlier, 3.2 million were employed, making up 41.9 per cent of the total figure. Meanwhile, those in the “no work requirements” category has increased to more than half (51 per cent). It means they are not expected to look for a job, often because of illness or disability. That category has been growing rapidly and overtook “searching for work” as the biggest group back in April 2022. Since May 2021, the number has skyrocketed by roughly three million. Most read in Money The staggering figures were published by the Department for Work and Pensions today. It said: “There were 8.4 million people on Universal Credit in May 2026 which is the highest number on record. “This is up from 7.7 million people on Universal Credit in May 2025, and a small increase from last quarter where, in February 2026, there were 8.3 million people on Universal Credit.” Shadow Welfare Secretary Helen Whately previously said: “Labour is letting the welfare bill spiral out of control while fewer people are in work and millions more are being written off onto benefits. “The number of people on Universal Credit with no work requirements has surged by one million in a year alone because this government has been too distracted by internal chaos. “Only the Conservatives have the team, plan and leader with the backbone to get a grip of welfare, restore fairness for taxpayers, and Get Britain Working Again.” It comes as unemployment in the UK remained unchanged again in the three months to June. Britain’s jobless rate stayed steady at 4.9%, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). But job vacancies have continued to fall and are now at their lowest level in over five years, dropping by 6,000 to 707,000 between May and July. Liz McKeown, ONS director of economic statistics, said: “The labour market picture is little changed overall, with some softening still evident. “Employment, unemployment and inactivity rates have all remained steady, while the number of employees on payroll fell slightly in the latest quarter. “Vacancies remain broadly flat, though a small fall in the latest period puts them at the lowest level in more than five years.” 2 comments2