Wales sees largest increase in employment across UK

Unemployment in Wales has fallen slightly to it's lowest level for the last year.

Compared to the rest of the UK Wales has seen the largest increase in the rate of employment.

The Office for National Statistics figures showed from June to August 125,00 people were out of work, down seven thousand on the previous quarter.

This is the lowest it has been since the three months to May last year.

The figures showed the level of employment in Wales increased by 40,000 over the last quarter to 1.377 million, with the employment rate increasing by 1.6 per cent - the largest rise among all devolved countries and English regions.

The number of women in employment is also at a record high.

Secretary of State for Wales, David Jones has welcomed today’s publication of the latest Labour Market Statistics which show that Wales has seen the largest increase in the employment rate across the UK over the last three months.

Despite Wales seeing the biggest increase in employment in the UK this quarter, the UK Government's Minister of State for Work and Pensions, Mark Hoban, says there are still "challenges to tackle" here.

Liam Byrne, Shadow Secretary of State for work and pensions says today's unemployment figures are "a chink of light in an otherwise bleak economic outlook".

The Shadow secretary also praises the Welsh Government for it's schemes to get more people and especially the youth in Wales into employment.