Standing view · labour_market · Torridge
deteriorating, held with established confidence, formed on 31 August 2026 from movements in 2026-07.
The employment rate in Torridge fell to 71.2% in the year to March 2026, economic inactivity rose to 28.8% and the modelled unemployment rate to 3.6%. The claimant count rose to 1,130 in March 2026, improved to 1,085 in April and 1,045 in May, then 1,020 in June was recorded as unfavourable, while the proportion of residents aged 16 to 64 claiming eased to 2.6%. Three survey measures point one way and most claimant readings the other.
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 Torridge. Where no figure supports a direction we hold no view rather than a hedged one.
| Measure | Period | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Employment rate - aged 16-64 | 2026-03 | deteriorating |
| % who are economically inactive - aged 16-64 | 2026-03 | deteriorating |
| Claimant count | 2026-03 | deteriorating |
| Unemployment rate (model based) | 2026-03 | deteriorating |
| Claimant count | 2026-04 | improving |
| Claimant count | 2026-05 | improving |
| Claimant count | 2026-06 | deteriorating |
| Claimants as a proportion of residents aged 16-64 | 2026-06 | improving |