Shropshire Claimant Count Up 5.3%, Whitchurch Up a Fifth

4,675 people were claiming unemployment-related benefits in Shropshire in August 2026. That is up 105 on July and up 235 on August 2025.

The rise over the year is 5.3%. Across the UK the count rose 2.1%, and across the West Midlands 2.0%.

The figures are from the ONS claimant count, published through nomis on 15 September.

Shropshire still has one of the lowest rates in the region. The count is 2.4% of residents aged 16 to 64, against 5.3% for the West Midlands and 3.9% for the UK. Next door, Telford and Wrekin is at 4.0%.

Low rate, rising faster

Of the West Midlands region’s 30 council areas, only Staffordshire Moorlands and Stratford-on-Avon have a lower rate, both at 2.2%. Lichfield matches Shropshire at 2.4%.

But the county’s count is climbing back. It fell over 2025, from 4,835 in January to 4,345 in December. It has risen in five of the eight months since:

The count is still 450 lower than two years ago.

Young people and over-50s account for most of the rise

By age, the change between August 2025 and August 2026:

The 18 to 24 count rose 9.2%. The over-50s rose 8.4%, and within that the 55 to 64 age bands rose from 675 to 755. The 25 to 49 group, by far the largest, rose only 2.7%.

Where the claimants are

Ward figures show the county’s 2.4% hides a wide spread. The highest rate is in Shrewsbury’s Castlefields and Ditherington, at 5.1%. The lowest is The Meres, at 0.9%.

Four of the seven highest wards are in Shrewsbury. Whitchurch has two and Market Drayton one.

Whitchurch’s rise

Whitchurch stands out. Its three wards had 225 claimants in January 2026 and 275 in August, a rise of 50, or 22%. Across the whole county the count rose 4.4% over the same months.

• Whitchurch North: 90 to 125, now 4.3%
• Whitchurch West: 95 to 110, now 4.2%
• Whitchurch South: 40 in both months, 2.2%

Shrewsbury’s highest wards moved the other way over the same period. Harlescott fell from 135 to 125 and Quarry and Coton Hill from 135 to 115. Castlefields and Ditherington rose from 145 to 155.

In the month to August, Oswestry North rose from 95 to 105 and Market Drayton North from 95 to 105. Craven Arms rose from 75 to 85.

A caution on these ward numbers. Nomis rounds every count to the nearest five, so a change of five or ten in one ward means very little on its own.

What the claimant count measures

The claimant count is not the unemployment rate. It counts people on Universal Credit who are required to look for work, plus the remaining Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants. Some of them are in work on low hours.

People who are out of work but not claiming do not appear at all. It is still the only monthly measure published down to individual wards. The ONS labels the local figures official statistics in development.

What it means for you

• If you are looking for work, the National Careers Service helpline, 0800 100 900, is free and does not need a benefit claim.
• If you are hiring in Whitchurch or Market Drayton, the number of local people claiming and required to look for work is higher than at the start of the year.
• If you want to check your own ward, the full series is free to query at nomisweb.co.uk.

The September figures are due on 20 October. For the other side of the county’s money picture, see our report on Shropshire house prices in July.

Sources

• ONS claimant count, dataset NM_162_1, via nomis, August 2026 release, updated 15 September 2026. County, regional and UK figures are for all claimants aged 16 and over; rates are the share of residents aged 16 to 64. All counts are rounded to the nearest five.
• Labour market overview, UK: September 2026, Office for National Statistics, released 15 September 2026, next release 20 October 2026