Britain’s benefits capitals mapped as figures reveal up to 14% of working-age adults are getting handouts in parts of country

The capitals of Britain’s unemployment benefits have been mapped, with new data showing up to 14 per cent of working-age adults needing to look for work receive benefits in some parts of the country.

Tens of thousands of adults in many parts of Birmingham are receiving government payments despite being eligible to work.

Nearly 12,000 people in the Birmingham Perry Bar constituency alone are on Jobseeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit, but they have to look for work, according to figures from the House of Commons library.

This equates to 14.5 per cent of the local population aged 16 to 64, almost four times the national average of 3.8 per cent.

Seven of the top eight constituencies in the rankings are in the West Midlands city, while Bradford West sneaks into seventh place, where around 7,800 adults (9.4 per cent) are on the same benefits.

Britain’s welfare capitals are all located in England; The first non-English constituency, Glasgow East, comes in 83rd place, with just 5.6 per cent of the able-bodied working population receiving benefits.

The top 20 areas include Birmingham, London, Bradford and Walsall. At the other end of the scale, the constituencies of Westmorland and Lonsdale, Wetherby and Easingwold and York Outer have just 1.4 per cent of the adult population receiving these benefits.

It comes after the Labor government was accused this week of creating a ‘jobless generation’, with almost one in six young adults unemployed.

Yardley in Birmingham ranks fourth in the UK for the number of adults seeking unemployment benefits while eligible to work.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the unemployment rate for 16 to 24 year olds rose to 16.1 per cent in the last quarter of 2025; This is the highest level since the beginning of 2015.

The general unemployment rate also reached its highest level in the last five years, at 5.2 percent.

Around 1.69 million people signed up to receive Jobseeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit with work requirements at the start of the year, an increase of almost 30,000 in December 2025.

In addition to jobseeker benefits, last year’s data revealed around 3.7 million Britons were on Universal Credit without any work requirements.

This marked an increase of one million since Sir Keir took office, sparking outrage among critics of the ballooning welfare bill.

With sicknesses expected to cost the economy £67bn by 2029-30, the government is being forced to make tough decisions to balance the books.

The total welfare bill is expected to rise from £140bn to £177bn by the end of Parliament, following Labor’s planned cuts to the number of people eligible to receive PIP and other disability payments last year.

The Daily Mail previously visited Birmingham, the unemployment benefits capital of England; where in some areas more than 64 per cent of households were claiming Universal Credit.

Receiving UC does not automatically mean that a person is unemployed; This benefit also supports people working in lower-paying jobs.

In the Ladywood constituency, which has the second highest proportion of adults on unemployment benefits nationwide, 32-year-old Mat Jabatesh told the Daily Mail he had been unemployed for three years and had to live in a hostel with his four children.

He said: ‘I’m looking for a job, I don’t have a job. I go to the job center, go online, try to apply. I really can’t get a job.

‘I don’t demand any benefits. The housing issue has become so difficult for me, I’m trying to find somewhere to stay, but it’s hard for me, I don’t know where to go.’

She was a care assistant before leaving the job, but says there are now ‘no job opportunities’ in the area.

‘There is no work. Life is getting harder for everyone. Not just me, everyone is a victim.

‘There are a lot of homeless people on the streets and a lot of people affected financially, emotionally and physically.

‘You see people without jobs and deteriorating mentally, physically and spiritually. People are getting more and more angry and there are a lot of sick people because you can’t get an appointment with the GP.

‘Everything is getting very difficult now.’

Basant Singh, 40, has been looking for a job for two years and receives housing and child allowance, but says the payments are not enough to get by.

Rachel Reeves faces renewed pressure today over Labor’s economic plans after unemployment rose to a five-year high

He said: ‘It’s a lack of jobs and people not being skilled enough for them.

‘What this government has gone wrong is allowing newcomers to benefit directly from social benefits. They look good but they just want money from the government.

‘I was born and raised in England, I am 40 years old and I am having difficulty finding a job.

‘I have been unemployed for two years. I’ve worked all over Birmingham Airport, the market, lots of retail jobs.

‘But there is no work. Also, now everything is done online because so many people are applying for the same jobs. And people’s experience isn’t even a top priority.’

Labour’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, is accused by the opposition of rising unemployment due to Budget measures including a £25 billion annual increase in National Insurance contributions and increasing the minimum wage for young people.

Conservative Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith said: ‘These figures show the impact of a ‘zombie government’ with no growth plan.

‘Labour’s Jobs Tax, economic uncertainty and bureaucratic Employment Rights Bill are hindering hiring and creating a generation of unemployed people.’

Louise Murphy, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: ‘We must urgently turn our attention to the UK’s unemployment problems.

‘At the end of last year almost one in six young people wanting to work could not find a job. There is a risk that unemployment will climb further in 2026.

‘Reducing youth unemployment in this country – along with the share of young people not in education and training – must be a top priority for 2026.’