First Minister Carwyn Jones
Commenting on figures published today showing Welsh unemployment matching the UK average of 6.6%, the First Minister has said: “These figures show the Welsh economy continuing to maintain its positive momentum and making a strong contribution to the recovery of the UK economy overall.
“Over the past year unemployment in Wales has fallen faster than the whole of the UK, especially youth unemployment, where we have seen a 13.6 per cent fall in unemployment amongst 16-17 year olds in Wales compared to a fall of just 1.6% across the UK.
“Our policies are clearly making a difference in Wales. Unemployment in Wales now stands at 6.6 per cent and employment remains well above its historic average, and up 161,000 since the start of the Assembly. Since devolution we have also seen a fall in economic inactivity in Wales double the rate of the UK as a whole.”
