Wales jobless total falls by 1,000 (From South Wales Argus)

Wales jobless total falls by 1,000

10:18am Thursday 24th January 2013 in News

UNEMPLOYMENT in Wales has fallen by almost 1,000.

A total of 123,522 people were out of work between September and November last year, a fall from the previous quarter, according to the Office for National Statistics.

However the number of economically inactive people rose from 955,841 to 989,097.

The figures were welcomed by the Welsh Conservatives’ Nick Ramsay, AM for Monmouth, but he said it remains concerning unemployment and inactivity rates in Wales remain higher than the UK average.

Labour’s Edwina Hart, business minister, said the figures show the economic situation in Wales is still challenging.

“The poor performance of the global economy, together with spending cuts imposed by the UK Government, which will not support growth or jobs, mean our economic prospects continue to be very uncertain,” she said.