“Over The Past 12 Months, Wales Has Seen Unemployment Fall Faster Than Anywhere Else In The UK” – First Minister

Commenting on the latest Labour Market Statistics published today (17 August 2016), First Minister Carwyn Jones said: ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“The labour market in Wales continues to perform strongly with an unemployment rate of 4.3%, which is lower than the UK average for a fifth consecutive month. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Over the past 12 months, Wales has seen unemployment fall faster than anywhere else in the UK. We are ahead of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland with unemployment declining at a rate more than twice the UK average and now standing well below the UK rate of 4.9%. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Over the same period, employment in Wales has also increased by 17,000 and is close to its highest recorded level. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“As a pro-business government, we are continuing to work hard to support the right economic conditions to help create and safeguard jobs right across Wales. Whatever happens around us, we will continue to provide a strong, stable and secure environment for business and enterprise.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​