Tories reject Labour claims that most of new jobs in Wales are zero-hours contract

Shadow Welsh secretary Owen Smith said 90,000 of the 100,000 new jobs created by the Government involve zero-hours contracts and pay a weekly average of £300 less than full-time jobs.

But Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb hit out at Labour's employment record in the country.

He added that a new opinion poll suggests people in the Opposition's Welsh heartlands want David Cameron to remain as Prime Minister.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Smith asked Mr Crabb to "set aside the spin" about the Welsh job market as he questioned how many of the "new Tory jobs" involve zero-hour contracts and low wages.

Mr Crabb replied by reeling off unemployment statistics as he outlined the situation inherited by the coalition as he claimed Labour had a "scandalous record" on jobs in Wales.

Mr Smith then told the Cabinet minister: "I think workers in Wales are heartily sick of this Tory propaganda because the truth is that of these 100,000 new jobs there are 90,000 zero-hours jobs in Wales - the (Office for National Statistics) said that last week - paying on average £300 less per week than full-time jobs.

"And as the ISF has said this morning, workers in Wales' average family incomes have declined under this Government."

He told Mr Crabb to give workers in Wales hope by telling them to vote Labour, prompting laughs from the Tory benches.

Mr Crabb replied: "If you think that's any kind of boon to the Welsh economy I would just point you to the opinion poll conducted by BBC Wales, which this morning shows a majority of voters across Wales, even in the Labour heartlands from the Rhondda to the Cynon Valley, from Caerphilly to Pontypridd, prefer (Mr Cameron) to remain as leader rather than (Labour leader Ed Miliband)."

Mr Crabb earlier said fewer than 3% of Welsh workers are on "contracts that can be described as zero-hours", adding it was wrong of Labour MPs to "peddle a gross caricature".