The Claimant Count datasets on Nomis were revised back to December 2014 at 0930 on 16 November 2016.

As part of the ongoing development of the Claimant Count since the introduction of Universal Credit, the series now includes claimants from the Department for Work and Pensions' Full Universal Credit Service.

From the labour market releases on 16 November 2016, DWP are able to provide information from the Full Universal Credit Service, in addition to the Live Service. This information is available for periods from December 2014, when the Full Universal Credit Service started, to the latest data.

Although revisions stretch back to December 2014, it is only in the most recent periods, since Full Universal Credit Service has started to be rolled out across a larger number of Jobcentre Plus offices, that the impact has grown.

The revisions have not significantly changed the general pattern of the Claimant Count, although the resulting recent increases are stronger than previously published.

Although this latest revision improves the coverage of the Claimant Count, the series remains an Experimental Statistic.

Until all cases have been transferred into the Full Universal Credit Service, it is unlikely that there will be any reliable statistics relating to claimant flows or duration within the Claimant Count.

For further information, the ONS has published a short methodological article.