Unemployment rises again in Wales despite UK fall

Wales has seen the largest increase in unemployment over the past year, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Unemployment stood at 4.8%, the highest total in the UK alongside the west Midlands, estimates from February to April 2023 showed.

This is 1.3 percentage points higher than the same time period in 2022 and 0.2 percentage points up on last month.

Overall, the UK's unemployment rate stands at 3.8%.

Across the UK as a whole, unemployment fell slightly and the numbers working rose - but in Wales, the opposite happened.

The fall in employment rate was highest in Wales, dropping by 2.2 percentage points, with 71.8% of people in work.

The number of jobs in Wales fell by 11,000 between December and March.

Wales also saw the largest increase in the economic inactivity rate, compared with the same period last year.

This figure of 24.4% is up 1.1 percentage points on a year ago, although this was 0.6 percentage points lower than the previous quarter.

These figures are estimates that could be revised at a later date.