Number of UK Children in Never-Worked Households Hits 13-Year High as Job Vacancies Fall

The number of children living in UK households where no one has ever had a job has climbed to its highest level in more than a decade, reaching 252,000 in the second quarter of 2026, while job vacancies have fallen to their lowest level in almost 12 years outside the pandemic.

The total of children in never‑worked households was up from 168,000 a year earlier and 222,000 at the start of 2026, as UK job vacancies slipped to 707,000 in the three months to July.

The increase represented a 50% rise over the year and a 30,000 increase since the start of 2026. The 252,000 children accounted for 1.9% of children, while the wider number of workless households stood at about 3.16 million, equivalent to 14.4% of households.

Number of Children in Never-Worked Households Jumps

The latest figure was also higher than the 232,000 children recorded in the second quarter of 2024. It remained below the previous high of 262,000 recorded in the fourth quarter of 2013.

The Office for National Statistics distinguishes households where all members have never worked from the broader category of workless households. The 252,000 figure refers specifically to children living in households where every member has never worked, rather than households where an adult may have worked previously but is currently without a job.

There were 347,000 households in which all members had never worked, equivalent to about 1.6% of UK households in the relevant measure.

Labour Force Survey estimates are subject to sampling variation, meaning movements in smaller groups can be volatile.

The rise also predates the end of the two‑child limit in Universal Credit.

The policy change took effect on 6 April 2026, when Universal Credit began paying the additional child amount for every child rather than limiting it to two, although the benefit cap remained in place.

The figures do not establish a direct link between the policy change and the increase in children living in never‑worked households. The 222,000 figure recorded at the start of 2026 shows that the increase was already under way before the policy change.

Vacancies Slide to Near 12-Year Lows

The number of UK vacancies fell to 707,000 in May to July 2026, down 6,000 from the previous three‑month period. The estimate was also 19,000 lower than a year earlier, a decline of 2.7%.

Outside the coronavirus pandemic period, the last time vacancies were at 707,000 or below was in September to November 2014, when the total stood at 703,000. The latest level remained 81,000, or 10.3%, below the pre‑pandemic level recorded in January to March 2020.

The ratio of unemployed people to each vacancy stood at 2.5 in April to June 2026. That measure has remained at 2.5 since July to September 2025, after rising from July to September 2024.

The fall was spread across parts of the economy rather than concentrated in one sector. Vacancy estimates decreased in nine of the 18 industries, with human health and social work activities falling by 5,000 and education declining by 4,000.

Smaller employers also recorded weaker demand for workers. Vacancies at businesses with one to nine employees fell by 8,000 over the quarter, the largest decline among the five employment‑size bands measured by the ONS.

The vacancy estimate carries a confidence interval of approximately plus or minus 32,000. The latest 6,000 quarterly decline therefore falls within the range of sampling variation and should not be treated as a precise measure of a sudden change in hiring.