Standing view · labour_market · Hastings
deteriorating, held with strong confidence, formed on 31 August 2026 from movements in 2026-07.
The employment rate in Hastings fell to 61.7% in the year to March 2026 and economic inactivity rose to 32.9%. The claimant count rose to 2,880 in February 2026 and 2,910 in March, and the proportion of residents aged 16 to 64 claiming from 5.1% in February to 5.2% in March, easing to 4.9% in May before rising to 5% in June. Two survey measures and both claimant measures moved unfavourably, so two producers' figures agree.
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 Hastings. Where no figure supports a direction we hold no view rather than a hedged one.
| Measure | Period | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Claimant count | 2026-02 | deteriorating |
| Claimants as a proportion of residents aged 16-64 | 2026-02 | deteriorating |
| Employment rate - aged 16-64 | 2026-03 | deteriorating |
| % who are economically inactive - aged 16-64 | 2026-03 | deteriorating |
| Claimant count | 2026-03 | deteriorating |
| Claimants as a proportion of residents aged 16-64 | 2026-03 | deteriorating |
| Claimants as a proportion of residents aged 16-64 | 2026-05 | improving |
| Claimants as a proportion of residents aged 16-64 | 2026-06 | deteriorating |