← St. Helena's unemployment rate

Unemployment Benefits in St. Helena

St Helena has no unemployment insurance. The St Helena Government pays Income Related Benefit (IRB), a means-tested weekly benefit that protects against loss of income in short or long term unemployment and ill health.

✓ From official pages   ✓ Each part says when we checked

At a glance

No unemployment insurance found on official sites.

The job market in St. Helena

3.5%
unemployed, 2021

St. Helena's unemployment rate over the years · every country, ranked

What to do first

  1. Keep up with the job-search rule while you claim (below), and keep a record of where you applied.
  2. See whether you can get Income Related Benefit (IRB). Official page

Looking for work while you claim

Income Related Benefit claimants assessed as job ready (category 1) must report to the Benefits Office every two weeks on their progress in seeking work, and the Benefits Office and Careers Access St Helena review it fortnightly. Benefit is withdrawn for not showing availability and active job search, not following a Careers Access direction, missing a progress meeting, compulsory training or employment scheme, or refusing work offered.

  • Be available for and actively seek work
  • Attend a progress meeting every two weeks
  • Carry out directions from Careers Access St Helena
  • Attend compulsory training or employment schemes
  • Accept work that is offered

Reporting. Progress meeting with the Benefits Office every two weeks.

From an official page, read October 26, 2026.

Keep my work search record for St. Helena

Free. It lists where you applied and what else you did to look for work, each line ready to copy into the form you report on. It is your own record: we send nothing to any government.

Income Related Benefit (IRB)

Means-tested benefit from the St Helena Government for families whose income is below the minimum standard; from 1 October 2023 it rose by £3.00 to £78.00.

From an official page, read October 26, 2026.

Questions

Is there unemployment benefit in St. Helena?

No unemployment insurance was found on official sites. What exists is Income Related Benefit (IRB).

Do I have to look for work while I claim in St. Helena?

Income Related Benefit claimants assessed as job ready (category 1) must report to the Benefits Office every two weeks on their progress in seeking work, and the Benefits Office and Careers Access St Helena review it fortnightly. Benefit is withdrawn for not showing availability and active job search, not following a Careers Access direction, missing a progress meeting, compulsory training or employment scheme, or refusing work offered.

Nearby countries

Cape VerdeCôte d'IvoireGambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauMaliMauritaniaNigerNigeriaSenegalTogo

Where this comes from

Every part of this page was read on an official website, and each links the page it came from and the day we checked it. Rules and amounts change, so check that page before you rely on a figure. Jobareer is not part of any government and cannot see or change a claim.

See also: unemployment rate by country · St. Helena's unemployment rate · unemployment in the US, state by state.