Standing view · labour_market · Staffordshire Moorlands
deteriorating, held with strong confidence, formed on 31 August 2026 from movements in 2026-07.
The employment rate in Staffordshire Moorlands fell to 70.9% in the year to March 2026, economic inactivity rose to 27.1% and the modelled unemployment rate to 4.3%, with modelled unemployment at 2,100 in the year to December 2025. The claimant count improved to 1,145 in December 2025, then 1,185 in April 2026, 1,170 in May and 1,155 in June were all recorded as unfavourable. Seven of the eight readings moved unfavourably.
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 Staffordshire Moorlands. Where no figure supports a direction we hold no view rather than a hedged one.
| Measure | Period | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Claimant count | 2025-12 | improving |
| Unemployment count (model based) | 2025-12 | deteriorating |
| Employment rate - aged 16-64 | 2026-03 | deteriorating |
| % who are economically inactive - aged 16-64 | 2026-03 | deteriorating |
| Unemployment rate (model based) | 2026-03 | deteriorating |
| Claimant count | 2026-04 | deteriorating |
| Claimant count | 2026-05 | deteriorating |
| Claimant count | 2026-06 | deteriorating |