2015: a buoyant year for Welsh job market - but no room for complacency
Stephen Crabb says there will be "no complacency" in working to keep Wales' economic growth on track as jobs figures reveal a mixed picture.
The Secretary of State for Wales has pledged there will be “no complacency” in working to keep Wales’ economic growth on track as the latest jobs figures reveal a mixed picture.
Although unemployment is down, the employment level has also fallen and there has been a rise in economic inactivity - people who are not in employment or unemployed, but might for example be studying or looking after a family member.
The headline Labour Market Statistics published today show:
- The employment level in Wales is down 16,000 over the quarter with the rate down 0.9 percentage points to 70.4 per cent
- Unemployment is down 11,000 with the rate down by 0.6 percentage points over the quarter to 5.9 per cent
- The Youth claimant count has decreased by 2,500 over the year
- Economic inactivity is up 26,000 compared to the previous quarter with the rate increasing 1.4 percentage points.
- The claimant count decreased slightly by 100 between October and November
Over the year, the employment level in Wales increased by 42,000 with the employment rate up by 1.8 percentage points.
Stephen Crabb, Secretary of State for Wales, said:
Over the course of 2015 we have seen a buoyant and robust jobs market in Wales, with increasing numbers going back to work. This has been a year when the fruits of Welsh economic recovery have become really evident across the country.
However what today’s mixed figures show is that there is absolutely no room for complacency. The recovery is fragile in Wales, so we must keep working to safeguard the economic gains we’ve made throughout this year.