Dataset: Alternative Claimant Count - Off Flows

Field: Benefit Group

Description

The Benefit Group variable shows what unemployment benefit is being claimed. This comprises the Jobseeker's Allowance, Universal Credit - Searching for Work conditionality (excluding those on the health journey pre-Work Capability Assessment) and estimates of those additional claimants who would have been Searching for Work under Universal Credit had it existed over the entire time period from 2013. These include:

• People who are not in work but previously claimed Housing Benefit only i.e. did not claim Jobseeker's Allowance;
• People whose household previously claimed Child Tax Credit from HMRC, but are not themselves earning more than the Universal Credit administrative earnings threshold; and nor do they have responsibility as the main carer for their child;
• People who are the partner of a claimant of Employment and Support Allowance or Income Support, but who do not themselves have caring responsibilities, a disability or a limitation on their ability to work.

Classification

For the Alternative Claimant Count, the following breakdowns are available:

• Jobseeker's Allowance
• Universal Credit - Searching for Work conditionality (excluding those on the health journey pre-Work Capability Assessment)
• Additional claimants (see description above)

Total number of categories: 3

Quality Statement

The statistics form a modelled statistical series. The statistics are formed as a count of the number of people claiming a benefit that is – or would be under Universal Credit – related to being actively available and searching for work i.e. the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), or Universal Credit Searching for Work conditionality (excluding those on the health journey pre-Work Capability Assessment), or a legacy benefit or Child tax Credit that would under Universal Credit place the claimant with Searching for Work conditionality. This latter group are termed 'additionals'.

The JSA and Universal Credit elements of the series are largely drawn from official statistics published on these benefits. However, the 'additionals' component is a modelled series and relies on a number of assumptions which rely on use of data on in/out of work status and earnings, proxied by Housing Benefit and Tax Credit returns.

The statistics also draw upon new and evolving datasets, such as Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment cases. Those claimants awaiting a Work Capability Assessment are removed from the statistics.

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