Standing view · labour_market · Hastings
deteriorating, held with strong confidence, formed on 5 October 2026 from movements in 2026-08.
The job market in Hastings has been weakening, and the view is held strongly. The claimant count was 2,880 in February 2026 and 2,910 in March, both recorded as unfavourable against the usual pattern for their month, with claimants as a proportion of residents aged 16-64 at 5.1 in February, 5.2 in March and 5 in June, also unfavourable. The employment rate for those aged 16-64 was 61.7 in the year to March 2026 and those economically inactive 32.9, both unfavourable too. Only the proportion of 4.9 in May 2026 read favourably. Seven unfavourable readings against one.
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 |