NEW data has laid bare Britain’s unemployment crisis – with 1.74 million adults currently on benefits.

Using figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), The Sun has compiled a map showing the worst hit areas – with the number of claimants up by 182,000 in 12 months.

The stats, published this week but showing standings from December last year, are also 700 more than the month before.

And while employment levels increased year on year, the employment rate fell slightly, according to separate analysis.

The report adds that 9.3 million people aged 16-64 were “economically inactive”, while job vacancies remain “above pre-pandemic levels”.

The overall claimant count is also 514,000 above the count of 1.23 million in March 2020, before the Covid pandemic took effect on the labour market.

However, the Department for Work and Pensions made changes to the criteria for claiming Universal Credit in May 2024, and the ONS reported this is “likely to increase the claimant count over a six month period”.

England’s unemployment count is 1.5million, while there are 66,025 out of work in Wales, 107,417 in Scotland and 39,375 in Northern Ireland.

The region with the highest number of benefit claimants outside of London (357,490) is the North West (208,285).

But the claimant rate percentage sees the West Midlands (5.6%) is highest behind London (5.9%).

And both these areas saw the biggest annual increase in unemployment-related benefits claimants – London (14%) and West Midlands (12%).

Birmingham has the highest ratio of people on unemployment benefits at 10.8, followed by Newham (8.5), Barking and Dagenham (8.3), Bradford (8.2), Brent (7.9), Wolverhampton (7.8), Haringey (7.7), Enfield (7.6), Oldham (7.5) and. Hackney (7.5).

Proportions of people claiming are the number of claimants divided by the population aged from 16 to 64 from mid-year 2021 population estimates.

Ladywood in Birmingham has the most people claiming benefits overall, with 15,665, followed by nearby Perry Barr (12,800), Bradford West (9,120), Hall Green and Moseley (9,075), Brent East (8,805), Yardley (8,455), Erdington (8,395), Hodge Hill and Solihull (8,390), East Ham (8,335) and Bradford East (8,300).

Meanwhile, the constituency with the highest annual increase of claimants aged 18-24 is Shrewsbury (37%), then Hitchin (35%), and Birmingham Hall Green & Moseley (33%).

BENEFITS CHANGES

The previous government introduced broad reforms to the welfare system from May last year.

It included claimants working fewer than 18 hours a week now expected to substantially increase their job search.

The Department for Work and Pensions said the rule change would mean 180,000 Brits would have to work more.

However, it also promised it was “radically expanding” the support available to help people “on their journey off benefits”, former DFWP secretary Mel Stride said.

The changes were criticised by the likes of charity Turn2Us, which urged the Government to reconsider, arguing it would have a “drastic impact” on people with long-term health conditions.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves promised to “restore stability to our economy and begin a decade of national renewal” in her autumn budget.

The budget included apparent confirmations that the Labour government will continue with the reforms to the work capability assessment set out by the Conservatives.

Benefits are set to be uprated by just 1.7% in April – a difference of just a few pounds for most claimants.