Guildford Claimant Count Nears a 2-Year High at 1,965

1,965 people in Guildford borough were claiming unemployment-related benefits in August, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics on 15 September. That is 2.0% of residents aged 16 to 64, and 115 more than in August last year.

It also puts the count back within 20 of its two-year peak. The highest monthly figure of the last 24 months is March 2026, at 1,985. August’s 1,965 is the closest the borough has come to it since.

One footnote to our own reporting. July’s figure was first published as 1,965, and we reported it at that level in August. ONS has since revised July down to 1,930, so August’s rise on the month is 35, measured against the revised figure.

The rise is at both ends of working life

The borough’s 25 to 49 year olds, the biggest group in the count, fell again over the year, from 1,060 to 1,050. Everything above and below them rose:

• Aged 16 to 24: 400, up from 335 in August 2025, a rise of 65
• Aged 50 and over: 515, up from 460, a rise of 55
• Aged 25 to 49: 1,050, down 10

The under-25 rise is the continuation of the trend we set out in detail last month: young people are now one in five of all Guildford claimants. The over-50s line is newer. A year ago it was flat; it has now risen 12% in twelve months, and it accounts for almost half of the annual increase.

Men outnumber women on the count, 1,110 to 855. Both rose by 55 over the year.

Where Guildford sits in Surrey

Guildford’s 2.0% rate is joint second-lowest of Surrey’s eleven districts, level with Waverley. Only Mole Valley is lower. The August rates, from the same release:

Because Guildford is one of Surrey’s biggest boroughs, its low rate still means a lot of people: only Spelthorne, Reigate and Banstead and Elmbridge have more claimants. And the county remains comfortable against the wider picture. The South East rate is 3.1% and the UK’s is 3.9%, so Guildford sits at barely half the national level.

What the number does and does not mean

• The claimant count is not the unemployment rate. It counts people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit while required to look for work, which includes some people who are in work on low earnings.
• ONS rounds every figure to the nearest five, and labels the local series official statistics in development, so treat small gaps between districts as noise.
• It is not seasonally adjusted. August still carries this summer’s school and college leavers.
• The next monthly release is due on 20 October.

What it means for you

• If you are under 25 and looking for work, the extra support at the Jobcentre now runs under the Youth Guarantee Journey, which replaced the Youth Offer in June; your work coach is the route in. The National Careers Service gives free careers advice at any age.
• If you are over 50 and back on the count, you are part of the fastest-growing group in it locally; the same work coach route applies, and Surrey County Council runs adult learning courses including in Guildford.
• If you employ people here, the local pool of jobseekers is the deepest it has been in two years at both ends of the age range, while experienced 25 to 49 year olds remain scarce.
• The cost side of the ledger is on our Guildford house prices page; the July house price figures are due from the Land Registry within days and we will report them.

Sources

• ONS claimant count via nomis (dataset NM_162_1) for Guildford borough, the ten other Surrey districts, the South East and the UK, August 2024 to August 2026, including the age and sex breakdowns
• Rates are the claimant count as a proportion of residents aged 16 to 64, from the same dataset