The number of children living in households where no one has ever worked has risen to 252,000, the highest level recorded in 13 years, according to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This represents a 30,000 increase from the beginning of the year and an 84,000 increase compared to the same period last year. The latest figures indicate that 1.9 percent, or approximately one in 50, of UK children are in this situation.
The ONS data also indicates a broader trend in worklessness. In the second quarter of this year, 3.16 million households had no one currently working. While this figure is down by 8,000 from the start of the year, it remains 147,000 higher than a year ago, representing 14.4 percent, or one in seven, of all households.
Furthermore, the number of households where no one has ever held employment stands at 347,000, a 1.6 percent of all households and an increase of 55,000 from the previous year. These statistics emerge as the government addresses youth unemployment, with recent data showing nearly one million individuals aged 16-24 are not in education, employment, or training (NEETs). Overall unemployment is also projected to exceed 5 percent later this year amidst economic challenges.
These figures follow the government's decision in April to scrap the two-child benefit cap, a move announced in November of the previous year. This policy change allows all families to receive the child element of Universal Credit irrespective of family size, potentially easing financial pressures on parents. The number of children in households where no one has ever worked was last higher in the final quarter of 2013, when it stood at 262,000. When the current Labour government came to power in the second quarter of 2024, the figure was 232,000. A year later, it had fallen to 168,000 before beginning to climb again.