August's count reached 2,360, a five-year high. Under-25s drove it: 440 claimants, up 54% in two years, the steepest rise of 19 South East areas.

The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits in Bracknell Forest reached 2,360 in August, the highest figure in five years.

The last time the borough’s claimant count was this high was August 2021, when it stood at 2,530 and the furlough scheme had not yet ended. The figures come from the Office for National Statistics claimant count on nomis, which nomis records as last updated on 15 September 2026.

Three things stand out in the August release.

  • The rate has moved. 2.8% of residents aged 16 to 64 are now claiming, against 2.6% a year ago. Bracknell Forest is still below the South East on 3.1% and well below the UK on 3.9%.
  • The annual rise is almost entirely under-25s and over-50s. The count is up 165 on August 2025. Of that, 70 came from the 16 to 24 group and 90 from the over-50s. The 25 to 49 group, which is the largest by some way, rose by 10.
  • Under-25 claimants hit 440, also the highest since August 2021, and up 54.4% in two years.

The under-25 figure is the one to watch

There were 285 under-25 claimants in the borough in August 2024. There were 370 a year later. In August 2026 there are 440.

That two-year rise of 54.4% is the steepest of all 19 county and unitary authorities in the South East, and it is not close. Buckinghamshire is second on 42.4%. The South East as a whole rose 24.8% over the same two years and the UK rose 18.1%.

We reported the same finding on this page in August, when the July figures put Bracknell Forest first on 40.7%. A month later the gap has widened rather than closed.

The Berkshire pattern is new, and it is striking. Three of the four fastest-rising areas in the South East are Berkshire unitaries:

Rank Area Aug 2024 Aug 2026 Change
1 Bracknell Forest 285 440 +54.4%
2 Buckinghamshire 1,250 1,780 +42.4%
3 Wokingham 320 445 +39.1%
4 West Berkshire 335 465 +38.8%
5 Surrey 2,440 3,385 +38.7%
10 Windsor and Maidenhead 285 365 +28.1%
11 Slough 765 940 +22.9%
16 Reading 795 915 +15.1%

Reading is the sharp local contrast. It has more than twice as many under-25 claimants as Bracknell Forest in absolute terms, 915 against 440, but its two-year rise is a little over a quarter of Bracknell’s.

Two-year change in under-25 claimants, South East authorities, August 2024 to August 2026 A ranked bar chart of the ten fastest-rising South East county and unitary authorities. Bracknell Forest is first at plus 54.4 per cent, ahead of Buckinghamshire at 42.4, Wokingham at 39.1, West Berkshire at 38.8, Surrey at 38.7, West Sussex at 35.7, Medway at 30.8, Hampshire at 29.7, Isle of Wight at 29.0 and Windsor and Maidenhead at 28.1. The South East average is 24.8 per cent and the UK is 18.1 per cent. Bracknell Forest leads the South East on under-25 claimants Change in claimants aged 16 to 24, August 2024 to August 2026. Ten fastest-rising of 19 county and unitary authorities. Berkshire unitary Other Bracknell Forest+54.4% Buckinghamshire+42.4% Wokingham+39.1% West Berkshire+38.8% Surrey+38.7% West Sussex+35.7% Medway+30.8% Hampshire+29.7% Isle of Wight+29.0% Windsor and Maidenhead+28.1% South East+24.8% United Kingdom+18.1% Source: ONS claimant count via nomis, August 2026 release. Figures are rounded to the nearest five. Graphic by Bracknell Online
Bracknell Forest's rise is 155 people over two years, on a small base, which is why the percentage is large. Slough (+22.9%) and Reading (+15.1%) are the two Berkshire unitaries outside the top ten.

The caveats, which matter here

The numbers are small. The two-year rise in Bracknell Forest is 155 people and the rise on last August is 70. On a base of a few hundred, a modest change in the number of people signing on produces a large percentage. That is part of why the small, prosperous Berkshire unitaries cluster at the top of the table while Kent and Hampshire, with thousands of claimants each, sit lower down.

The claimant count is not the unemployment rate. It counts people claiming Universal Credit or Jobseeker’s Allowance who are required to look for work. It misses people who are out of work but not claiming, and it includes some people who are working but on a low enough income to be required to seek more.

ONS rounds to the nearest five, and it revises the previous month with each release. When we published the July figures in August, ONS gave 2,315 in total and 415 under-25s. The August release revises those down to 2,300 and 410. We are noting the change rather than quietly restating the numbers.

What it means for you

If you are 18 to 24 and claiming Universal Credit, the borough runs a service aimed precisely at this group.

  • The Youth Employment Hub is for borough residents aged 18 to 24 on Universal Credit, at the Open Learning Centre. Details are on the council’s youth employment hub page, and the email is yeh@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.
  • Elevate works with 16 to 18 year olds, and up to 25 for care leavers and young people with an education, health and care plan, on 01344 352777. Its remit is young people not in education, employment or training. See the Elevate team page.

If you are over 50 and newly claiming, you are in the group that accounts for the other half of the annual rise, and the one that gets least attention in coverage of youth unemployment. The over-50 count is 600, up from 510 a year ago.

The next claimant count release, covering September, is due in mid-October. We will check whether the under-25 line turns, because it has now risen from 220 in June 2022 to 440, a doubling over four years.

More local information

Sources