4,450 people in North Tyneside claimed unemployment benefits in June, the most since February 2025, with the rise sharpest among under-25s and over-50s.

4,450 people across North Tyneside were claiming unemployment-related benefits in June, according to the Office for National Statistics claimant count, 295 more than in June last year and the borough’s highest figure since February 2025. That is 3.4 per cent of residents aged 16 to 64, up from 3.1 per cent a year earlier, though still below the North East average of 3.7 per cent and Great Britain’s 3.9 per cent. (ONS claimant count, published via Nomis)

The claimant count records people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance plus those on Universal Credit who are required to look for work. It is not the full unemployment measure, but it is the only jobs figure published every month at council level, which makes it the best regular signal of how the labour market is moving across Whitley Bay, Tynemouth, North Shields, Wallsend, Killingworth and the rest of the borough.

Climbing steadily since the autumn low

Line chart of the monthly claimant count in North Tyneside from June 2025 to June 2026, falling from 4,155 to a low of 4,090 in September and October 2025, then climbing almost every month to 4,450 in June 2026
Chart by Whitley Bay News.

The monthly figures from June 2025 to June 2026 run 4,155; 4,125; 4,125; 4,090; 4,090; 4,205; 4,175; 4,275; 4,435; 4,390; 4,360; 4,370; 4,450. The count bottomed out at 4,090 in September and October last year, then rose in six of the eight months since: up 360 from the autumn low, including a step up of 160 between January and February 2026. June’s 4,450 is 80 higher than May and the highest monthly figure since February 2025, when the count stood at 4,515. (Nomis, claimant count for North Tyneside, retrieved 12 August 2026)

The rise over the year is concentrated at both ends of working life. Claimants aged 16 to 24 rose from 900 in June 2025 to 1,020, an increase of 120, and claimants aged 50 and over rose by exactly the same amount, from 900 to 1,020. The 25 to 49 group, by far the largest, barely moved: up 55 to 2,410. Almost one claimant in four in the borough is now under 25.

Even after the increase, North Tyneside’s 3.4 per cent rate means about one working-age resident in 29 is claiming, against one in 27 across the North East (63,410 claimants) and one in 26 across Great Britain (1,663,755) on the same measure.

What it means for you

For jobseekers the borough remains a slightly better market than the region as a whole, but the direction of travel has been one way since October, and the squeeze is falling hardest on the youngest and oldest workers. If you have lost work or your hours have been cut, the main route into support is Universal Credit, claimed online. Low-income households can also apply for Council Tax Reduction, which cuts the bill rather than paying cash.

Many North Tyneside residents look to Newcastle for work; if a new job means a commute, our Metro times and travel page covers services and fares from the coast. A steady jobs market also underpins the local property market; our Whitley Bay house prices page tracks what homes across the borough actually sell for.

The July figures are due from the ONS later this month; we will report them when they appear on Nomis.