Written question WQ84111

Since 1999, the rate of economic inactivity in Wales has fallen over time and the gap between the Welsh rate compared to the UK overall has narrowed. Over the same period, the gap in the Welsh employment rate, relative to the UK, has narrowed. The current rate of unemployment (August-October 2021) in Wales, at 3.7%, is lower than the rate recorded for the UK as a whole (4.2%).

Our Young Persons Guarantee – which I launched in November - will provide everyone under 25 in Wales with support to gain a place in education or training, or support to get into work or self-employment.

In addition, by Spring next year we will publish our new Employability Strategy and setting out our offers to the citizens of Wales, from those needing first time employability support to those seeking a career change, we are using one of our key levers to address this challenge.

We want to create the conditions where more people, particularly the disadvantaged and young people, feel confident about planning their futures in Wales.

Overall, this means implementing a progressive economic policy that focusses on better jobs, narrowing the skills divide and tackling poverty so that we create genuine fairness in how the economy grows.