Standing view · labour_market · Angus and Dundee City
mixed, held with tentative confidence, formed on 31 August 2026 from movements in 2026-07.
Payrolled employees in Angus and Dundee City rose in absolute terms from 112,471 in January 2026 to 114,728 in July, but the month-to-month movements alternate, with increases in May and July and decreases in January, April and June. The claimant count rose to 5,950 in May 2026, and the proportion of residents aged 16 to 64 claiming reached 3.7% in June, up from 3.6% in February. Employment and unemployment are therefore both rising, which is why the reading is mixed.
A view is formed only where the evidence names a figure you can check. Each movement listed as a reason had to be large enough to matter and distinctive in at least one way — unusual against this area's own history, unusual against comparable areas, or sustained over several periods. A movement shared with peers counts for less, because it says something about the country rather than about Angus and Dundee City. Where no figure supports a direction we hold no view rather than a hedged one.
| Measure | Period | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Payrolled employees | 2026-01 | deteriorating |
| Claimants as a proportion of residents aged 16-64 | 2026-02 | deteriorating |
| Payrolled employees | 2026-04 | deteriorating |
| Claimant count | 2026-05 | deteriorating |
| Payrolled employees | 2026-05 | improving |
| Claimants as a proportion of residents aged 16-64 | 2026-06 | deteriorating |
| Payrolled employees | 2026-06 | deteriorating |
| Payrolled employees | 2026-07 | improving |