Standing view · labour_market · Torridge
deteriorating, held with established confidence, formed on 5 October 2026 from movements in 2026-08.
The job market in Torridge has been weakening. The employment rate for those aged 16-64 was 71.2 in the year to March 2026 and those economically inactive 28.8, both recorded as unfavourable against the usual pattern for their period, with the claimant count at 1,130 in March 2026, 1,020 in June and 1,015 in July also unfavourable despite the falling level. Running the other way, the count was 1,085 in April 2026 and 1,045 in May, and the claimant proportion 2.6 in June, all favourable. Five against three.
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 |
| 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 |
| Claimant count | 2026-07 | deteriorating |