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Universal Credit: Employment

Question for Department for Work and Pensions

UIN 24972, tabled on 7 May 2024

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants in the limited capability for work and work related activity group are in some form of paid employment as of May 2024.

Answered on

15 May 2024

The latest available statistics are shown in the following table.

Number of people on Universal Credit Health caseload on 14 December 2023 by stage, and those with employment earnings in the UC assessment period

Stage of UC Health

People on UC health

With employment earnings

Percentage with employment earnings

Live fit note (Pre-wca)

271,675

49,541

18%

Limited capability for work

347,472

47,486

14%

Limited capability for work and work-related activity

1,355,441

84,907

6%

Total

1,974,587

181,931

9%

Source: Stat-Xplore and DWP People on UC and UC Health Caseload datasets

Notes:

  1. Statistical disclosure control has been applied to avoid the release of confidential data. Totals may not sum due to the disclosure control applied.
  2. People on UC health are a count of the number of people on UC Health Caseload on the second Thursday of the month.
  3. An individual on Universal Credit on the second Thursday of the month will be recorded as in employment if they have employment earnings within the Universal Credit assessment period which spans the count date. They may not be in employment precisely on the count date. Employment for this measure is defined as being employed as an employee. It does not include self-employment.
  4. These figures are derived from data underlying published information, but this analysis has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard and so should be treated with caution.