AS always this newspaper will not be advising readers which way they should cast their votes in the elections for the National Assembly on May 5.

However, we have strong views on what the Assembly should focus on after the election and we advise readers to check out the credentials of those they vote for.

Naturally social issues such as healthcare and schools should figure prominently as always. But in the current climate one issue above all else should dominate our thinking - jobs.

Wales is too reliant on the public sector already, so there is little point in anyone believing promises to create more public sector jobs.

The country is virtually bankrupt and there is only one way we are going to fight our way back to economic health.

It is private business, industry and commerce on which the politicians should be focused rather than on ever more creative ways to slice the public pie.

We want to see policies that promote business, especially small business. We want to see public money spent on supporting promising companies and we want to see rent and rate cuts for those already in business.

In short we want to see Welsh businesses given a competitive advantage over those in England and to do that they have to be given greater incentives to succeed.

So let us hear what the politicians will do to help make our companies more successful.

Let them not talk in a woolly way about job creation, but let us hear specifics about helping business to be profitable and therefore more likely to hire workers.

It may not be popular in some people's eyes to focus on wealth creation rather than the social agenda, but if the principality proves itself incapable of replacing the axed public sector jobs with sustainable private sector ones its standard of living and its reputation will be almost irreparably damaged.