More than 44,000 people across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly claiming Universal Credit
Figures show parts of Newquay, Camborne and Redruth had the highest number
Last updated 7th Jun 2022
There has been a rise in the number of people claiming Universal Credit in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, with the number of residents claiming the benefit up in April after a steady period of decreases.
The total number of residents claiming Universal Credit (UC) increased by 1.1% in April to 44,407 – up from 43,917 in March.
The areas of Cornwall with the highest numbers of UC claims were Newquay Treviglas, Camborne Trelowarren and Redruth North.
Figures also show that around 11,500 people – just over 3.5% of the working age population – in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly were claiming unemployment related benefits in February 2022. This was an increase on the previous month and the highest since September 2021.
A Cornwall Council report states: "This represents an increasing trend for residents in receipt of unemployed related benefits and could show the impact that the cost of living crisis is having on Cornish residents.
"Although Cornwall’s unemployment rate is low, wage growth is stagnant and not keeping up with the rise in the cost of living, meaning average earnings have fallen in real terms".
Over 44,000 people in Cornwall and Scilly on Universal Credit
There has also been a drop in the number of job vacancies in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, although the figures are still significantly higher than in 2020 and 2021.
After reaching a high of around 4,700 vacancies in March 2022 there was a drop of 16.1% in April with a total of 3,936 job vacancies.
When looking at the sectors where those vacancies are, it is health and social work with the highest number of empty posts, accounting for 34.3% of job vacancies in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in April 2022. The sector saw a 3.4% increase in empty posts month on month.
The next highest sector for job vacancies in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is accommodation and food services, with 14.1% – although in April this has reduced by 3.1% compared to March.
Drop in job vacancies and wage growth "stagnant"
With wage growth in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly described as “stagnant” there are concerns that people will not be able to cope with increases in inflation, energy costs and fuel price rises.
Both employee and self-employed age levels in Cornwall are lower than the average in England – resident based gross annual earnings in Cornwall were recorded as being around 82% of the national average in 2021. Workplace based gross earnings are even lower at around 79% of the national average.
Those levels also vary in different parts of Cornwall – the lowest workplace based gross earnings are in South East Cornwall where they are 72% of the national average and actually dropped by 4.1% in 2020.
In addition figures for 2020 show that 53,000 of all employees – around 29% – were paid below the real living wage, that compares to around 20% nationally. The number of people who are self-employed is also higher in Cornwall, around 20% compared with 13.5% nationally.