Cardiff Central’s Liberal Democrat MP Jenny Willott has today highlighted the need to bring skilled jobs back to Wales after new statistics revealed that the Welsh average weekly wage is 10% lower than the UK average.
According to figures released yesterday by the Office of National Statistics, workers in Wales earn on average £441 per week compared to the UK average of £489 and a huge £627 per week in London.
The news comes only weeks after unemployment figures found that almost 1 in 10 people in Wales remain out of work and the employment recovery in Wales is falling behind the rest of the UK.
Commenting, Ms Willott said that the focus must be on bringing skilled jobs back to Wales by investing in high-tech green jobs and other skilled industries.
She said: “Wales is incredibly well placed to become a world-leader in innovative, new green technologies, but the investment needed to achieve this goal has to come now.
“In Cardiff we have a huge number of very well-educated young people crying out for highly-paid, skilled jobs. This is a perfect resource for companies looking to invest in the future of green technology and the future of Wales.
“Only by really focusing on bringing new, innovative industries to Wales can we halt the decline in Welsh wages and begin to increase employment in Cardiff and across the country.”
