Standing view · labour_market · Mid Devon
improving, held with established confidence, formed on 31 August 2026 from movements in 2026-06.
The employment rate in Mid Devon rose to 86.2% in the year to March 2026 and the modelled unemployment rate fell to 2.7%. The claimant count fell from 1,220 in February 2026 to 1,205 in March and 1,090 in May, with the proportion of residents aged 16 to 64 claiming easing from 2.4% in March to 2.2% in May, before the count rose to 1,120 in June. Six of the eight readings moved favourably across two producers' figures.
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 Mid Devon. Where no figure supports a direction we hold no view rather than a hedged one.
| Measure | Period | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Claimant count | 2026-02 | deteriorating |
| Employment rate - aged 16-64 | 2026-03 | improving |
| Claimant count | 2026-03 | improving |
| Claimants as a proportion of residents aged 16-64 | 2026-03 | improving |
| Unemployment rate (model based) | 2026-03 | improving |
| Claimant count | 2026-05 | improving |
| Claimants as a proportion of residents aged 16-64 | 2026-05 | improving |
| Claimant count | 2026-06 | deteriorating |