Unemployment rate falls in Wales

Wales’ unemployment rate has fallen to 4.4%, according to latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

The UK average is 5.5%.

The figures show that between October and December 68,000 people were unemployed and looking for work in Wales – 23,000 more than a year ago.

Commenting on the figures, Economy Minister Ken Skates said: “The ongoing impact of coronavirus on all our lives means that these are incredibly tough times for our economy.

“While it is encouraging that these latest figures show that the employment rate in Wales has risen in the last three months, and that unemployment here is still well below the UK rate, we know there are still challenging times ahead.

“Coronavirus has had a stark impact on our businesses and our people and as a Welsh Government we have acted swiftly and decisively to protect them. Since the start of the pandemic we’ve provided the most generous package of support for businesses anywhere in the UK, worth over £2bn.

“More than £1.75bn of that is now in the bank accounts of Welsh businesses, and our support has helped to protect over 125,000 jobs that might otherwise be lost.

“It is also important that we are planning for how we drive and grow our economy post pandemic. Today I have launched our Economic Resilience and Reconstruction Mission which sets out how we will work to rebuild Wales’ economy post-Covid so that it is more prosperous, equal and green than ever before.

“This includes a real focus on creating opportunities for people to retrain and upskill so that nobody is left behind as a result of the pandemic.”