Key Economic Statistics - February 2008

The Bulletin
Statistical Bulletin 4/2008 (PDF 278kB)

The Labour Force Survey estimates for the 3 months to December 2007 show:

• The employment rate of people of working age in Wales was 71.5 per cent, down from 71.8 per cent in the same period a year earlier.  The UK average was 74.7 per cent.
• The ILO unemployment rate in Wales was 5.1 per cent of the economically active, down from 5.2 per cent in the same period a year earlier.  For the UK as a whole it was 5.2 per cent.
• The rate of economic activity amongst people of working age in Wales was 75.4 per cent, down from 75.9 per cent in the same period a year earlier.  The UK average was 79.0 per cent.

Labour Force Survey estimates for the year to December 2007 show:

• ILO long-term unemployment (i.e. unemployed for 12 months or more) in Wales accounted for 20.3 per cent of the unemployed, slightly below the UK average of 23.6 per cent.
• ILO youth unemployment (i.e. 16 to 24 year olds) in Wales was 14.8 per cent of the economically active, slightly above the UK average of 14.5 per cent.

The claimant count rate in January 2008 for Wales was 2.7 per cent of the workforce, down 0.3 percentage points over January 2007 (UK rate 2.5 per cent).

The claimant count rate in January 2008 for West Wales and the Valleys was 2.5 per cent of the resident population of working-age.  The rate for East Wales stood at 2.0 per cent.

The experimental Index of Hotels and Restaurants for Wales for the four quarters to quarter 3 2007 fell by 5.2 per cent compared with the previous four quarters. The UK index rose by 5.4 per cent over the same period.

The experimental Index of Transport, Storage and Communication for Wales for the four quarters to quarter 3 2007 rose by 4.9 per cent compared with the previous four quarters. The UK index rose by 5.6 per cent over the same period.

The experimental Index of Business Services for Wales for the four quarters to quarter 3 2007 rose by 5.7 per cent compared with the previous four quarters. The UK index rose by 5.5 per cent over the same period.