THE FOREST of Dean’s unemployment data for May has been released by Gloucestershire County Council, showing a three per cent increase of claimants since April.

The data shows a May claimant count of 1,390, with the highest claiming ward in the district being Cinderford West.

The claimant count is a measure of the number of people who are unemployed and claiming benefits. From 1996 until the recent introduction of Universal Credit, this was based on the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance. However, since its introduction some unemployment benefit claimants will be claiming Universal Credit instead.

To reflect this change, the claimant count has been expanded to include people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance plus those who claim Universal Credit and who are searching for work.

The data also showed the claimant rate for Gloucestershire as a whole at 2.7 per cent in May 2025. The county’s rate has been lower than the South West average since July 2024. On average, it has been approximately 1.4 per cent lower than the UK average since the same month of the previous year.

Notably, four Forest of Dean wards ranked in the lowest ten per cent of claimant counts in the entire county, and Lydney North is the lowest overall. The other three are Hartpury and Redmarley, Longhope and Huntley, and St. Briavels.