Christmas work is all jobseekers can find
Young people at the Royal Mail parcel sorting centre in Port Talbot say they haven't been able to find any other work throughout the year.
Wales sees largest increase in employment across UK
Latest unemployment figures released today show the number of people out of work in Wales has fallen to its lowest level for a 12 month.
Unemployment figures fall by 1,000
Unemployment in Wales has fallen by 1,000, in the first three months of the year.
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"There are companies taking on staff"
Director of CBI Wales, which represents the country's biggest employers, has told ITV Wales that companies are looking to invest and that should lead to more jobs in Wales.
'It's really difficult at the moment'
ITV Wales spoke to members of the public about the current employment situation in Wales.
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Welsh Secretary: 'UK and Welsh Governments must work together'
Secretary of State for Wales Cheryl Gillan has welcomed the latest employment statistics, but warned there is still "a long way to go" to improve challenging economic conditions.
– Secretary of State for Wales, Cheryl Gillan MPWales is not immune to the uncertainties caused by the eurozone and what is essentially a complex and challenging labour market at the moment.
The unemployment rate in Wales continues to be an indicator that we must strive to do better, to work together as two Governments to create the right conditions for growth so that Wales can attract the investment and prosperity it needs.
Unemployment falls in Wales by 2,000
Latest figures from the Office of National Statistics have revealed that Wales has seen the number of people out of work fall by 2,000 between February and April 2012. Unemployment was at 132,000, but with 17,000 more people out of work when compared with the same 3 month period last year.
– Chris Grayling, Employment MinisterAny fall in unemployment is very welcome but I remain cautious over the next few months given the continuing economic challenges we face.
IoD respond to job figures
Responding to the latest labour market statistics, which showed a UK fall in unemployment of 45,000 over the three months to March but only a slight decline in Wales figures, Robert Lloyd Griffiths, director of the Institute of Directors in Wales, said:
– Robert Lloyd Griffiths, director of the Institute of Directors in WalesThe UK figures raise half a cheer for the economy but unemployment in Wales remains a real headache.
It’s good news that headline unemployment measures are down across the UK, but the Welsh unemployment figure remains static at 9%. That’s already considerably higher than the UK average and it’s a concern.
There’s also bad news in the average earnings figures. Average earnings growth including bonuses has collapsed from 1.3 per cent to just 0.1 per cent.
Excluding bonuses, average earnings growth stands at 2 per cent, which is way behind inflation.
Unemployment figures fall by 1,000
Unemployment in Wales has fallen by 1,000, in the first three months of the year.
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Unemployment figures out
Official figures published in the last half an hour show unemployment fell by 45,000 between January and March to 2.63 million.
The number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance last month fell by 13,700 to 1.59 million, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Job figures 'make or break' according to research group
Last month the figures showed the number of people out of work in Wales rose slightly.
Read the full storyUnemployment figures are 'make or break'
Todays unemployment figures will be 'make or break' according to a leading reasearch group. The Centre for Economics and Business Research say that the outlook for the future looks difficult as unemployment is projected to continue to increase over the next five years.
It says that after falls across the UK last month, the prospects are still negative for unemployment.
The latest unemployment figures are due out at 9:30am. Last months figures showed a small rise in the number of people out of work in Wales to 131,000 in the three months to the end of February.
– Carmen Watson, Pertemps Network GroupWith the number of people getting into part time work rising from 89,000 to 1.4 million, the outlook should technically look good for the future. However there is still more work to be done, particularly for vulnerable groups such as young people. As well as being aided by increasing the number of opportunities available to them, young people also need support and good advice on the current jobs market and how they will need to tailor their job hunting strategies accordingly.
Unemployment rose by 1,000 up to February, figures show
1,000 extra people were unemployed in the three months up to February, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
The total number of people out of work in the period stood at 131,000, a rate of 8.9%.
600 more people were claiming Jobseeker's Allowance compared to last month's figures. The overall rate stayed the same at 5.6%, putting Wales 0.7 points above the national average.
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