Written question WQ94256
- Asked by
- Samuel KurtzConservative
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 6 days
Question
How does the Cabinet Secretary intend to improve Wales's employment figures, including reducing the number of economically inactive people?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
In the period since devolution, the long run trend for the employment rate, has been positive, with a narrowing gap relative to the UK. Latest Annual Population Survey (APS) data for the year ending March 2024 shows that Wales’ employment rate (73.5%) is close to an all-time high since records began. Over the last ten years[1], the employment rate in Wales has increased by over four percentage points, exceeding the increase seen in the UK as a whole (up by 2.8 percentage points), over the same period.
The economic inactivity rate has seen an overall decrease since devolution with both Wales and the UK following similar trends. In the year ending March 2024, the economic inactivity rate for people aged 16-64 in Wales was 23.8%. with the UK rate at 21.5%, according to the APS.
We will continue to improve our employment prospects in Wales through the delivery of our Economic Mission, Skills and Employability Plan and driving forward on developments outlined in our Net Zero Skills Action Plan.
[1] Between the year ending March 2015 and the year ending March 2024, from the Annual Population Survey.