The Datum Report

Standing view · labour_market · Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

The job market in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly has been getting stronger.

improving, held with strong confidence, formed on 31 August 2026 from movements in 2026-07.

The claimant count in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly fell from 10,410 in May 2026 to 10,270 in June and 10,230 in July, and the proportion of residents aged 16 to 64 claiming from 3.1% in May to 3% in June. Payrolled employees rose from 229,753 in May to 232,017 in June and 234,242 in July, though the June and July readings were recorded as unfavourable against the usual pattern for those months. Falling claims alongside a growing payroll is a consistent picture in absolute terms across three months.

How this was decided

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 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. Where no figure supports a direction we hold no view rather than a hedged one.

The 8 measures that formed this view

MeasurePeriodDirection
Claimant count2026-05improving
Claimants as a proportion of residents aged 16-642026-05improving
Payrolled employees2026-05improving
Claimant count2026-06deteriorating
Claimants as a proportion of residents aged 16-642026-06improving
Payrolled employees2026-06deteriorating
Claimant count2026-07improving
Payrolled employees2026-07deteriorating