Unemployment in Wales has fallen by 3,000 according to latest figures from the the Office for National Statistics.
The number of people out of work between October and December last year was 134,000 – a fall of 3,000 compared to the 137,000 unemployed between July and September 2011.
Unemployment was 12,000 higher than the same time in 2010 and Wales’ unemployment rate of 9% remains above the UK average.
The employment rate in Wales was 68.5%, an increase of 0.8% from the last quarter.
The rate of those claiming jobseeker’s allowance was 5.6% in January, a rise of 0.1% from December 2011 and 0.6% higher when compared with last year. This brings the figure to 79,100 – up 1,300 on the previous month.
For the UK as a whole, unemployment rose by 48,000 to 2.67 million, taking the unemployment rate to 8.4%.
Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan welcomed the fall and said: “Whilst the unemployment rate remains unacceptably high at 9.0%, we are seeing some encouraging signs that things are improving. We do need to recognise however, that recovery from the worst deficit in peace-time history takes time. Yesterday, the Chancellor stated that we have a number of problems to confront in this country, but that dealing with our debts is one of our priorities and I echo that.
“I am fully committed to working together with the Welsh Government to maximise opportunities for businesses in Wales and very recently met with the Business and Enterprise Minister Ediwna Hart to discuss the issue. We need to do all we can to help promote Wales as a business destination. We have a workforce, a location and business knowledge to be proud of in Wales and I am confident that these factors remain a competitive and attractive choice for both domestic and international investors.”
Last month the ONS released figures showing unemployment had fallen by 1,000 to 130,000. This was for the period September to November 2011 and compared it to the period of June to August 2011, which had an unemployment figure of 131,000.