According to the TUC (Trades Union Congress), the number of workers on universal credit has increased by 1.3 million since the eve of the Covid-19 pandemic.
New analysis by the trade union of official figures shows that over 2.3 million working people were in receipt of the benefit at the end of 2021, compared to just over 1 million on the eve of the pandemic in February 2020. This represents an increase of 130 per cent over the last two years and means 1 in 14 working adults now claim universal credit.
However, the TUC says that the basic value of universal credit is now lower than at the start of the pandemic as a result of it not keeping up with inflation. It estimates that the value of the benefit has fallen by £12 a month in real terms when measured against CPI inflation and £21 a month when measured against RPI (Retail Price Index) inflation compared to just before the pandemic.
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