Jobless figures in Wales are at a near record low as the economy bounces back from the pandemic with soaring vacancies.
The latest ONS statistics show unemployment for October to December was 3.1% - down 0.7% on the previous quarter. It compares to 4.2% in England and 4.1% in Scotland and is close to the lowest figure ever recorded in Wales of 3%.
But there are clouds on the horizon as average weekly pay packets across Britain fell in December by -1.2% at a time the cost of living and the cost of running a business has surged - and looks set to get worse as energy costs rise further.
The employment rate in Wales was up 0.7% to 74.5% - which remains below England (75.9%) but above Scotland (74.1%), Northern Ireland (70.7%) and all the regions in the north of England.
There was a slight improvement in economic inactivity - down 0.1% to 23.1%, but this remains one of the highest rates in the 海角视频 with only Northern Ireland, the North East and Yorkshire and Humber with worse rates. These figures include full-time carers or students, and people who are on long-term sick or have taken early retirement.
The Department of Work and Pensions said vacancy numbers were booming in Wales and their task was matching up people out of work with those roles.
They offered this breakdown by North Wales area of the number of jobs currently advertised through Find a Job:
- Gwynedd: 978
- Conwy: 493
- Flintshire: 535
- Anglesey: 148
- Denbighshire: 575
- Wrexham: 635
Amanda Aldridge, from the Department of Work and Pensions(DWP), said: “It’s a job hunters labour market at the moment with thousands of vacancies across Wales in all sectors, from manufacturing to tourism and retail.
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“There are lots of opportunities for people and we are encouraging people to think about their transferable skills if they can’t find a role in their preferred sector at this time.”
She added: “We know there are employers struggling to attract staff and we are working on a skills and employment pathway and listening to those employers and seeing how we can help”
Tom Williams, from the DWP, added: “It is looking very positive at the moment and there is a positive trend - there are lots of options across sectors.”
He said the claimant count was down by between 31% and 36% in every North Wales county compared with a year ago.
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“The good news is that the 海角视频 economy is continuing to create jobs,” said Matthew Percival, director for people and skills at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).
“The bad news is that businesses are struggling to hire and pay is failing to keep up with inflation. Bold action is needed to go for growth, with steps to address skills and labour shortages.”