Wales has worst UK economic inactivity rate, says ONS

Welsh Conservative shadow economy minister Samuel Kurtz said the latest ONS estimates showed the Welsh Labour government “had no plan for Wales’ economy.”

He said: “Labour-run Wales, Keir Starmer’s ‘blueprint’ for government, has the highest economic inactivity and the lowest employment rate in the whole UK and the disparity is still worsening.”

“While the Welsh Conservatives push for ambitious jobs targets for the people of Wales, with a renewed focus on education and skills, Labour and Plaid push ahead with their costly plans to create 36 more politicians. They have the wrong priorities for Wales.”

A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said the figures were “a damning indictment both on the Conservatives at Westminster and Labour in Wales for failing to unlock Wales’ huge potential.”

“Only Plaid Cymru has the ambition to transform the Welsh economy, starting with demanding fair funding for our public services and the devolution of the key economic levers to Wales.”

A spokesperson for the Labour Welsh government said: “Failure to stimulate economic growth across the UK continues to negatively impact the employment market, with Wales no exception.”

They said other data sources “suggest that the labour market in Wales has followed similar trends to the UK since the pandemic”.

They added that their plan for employability and skills was “prioritising those most in need of help. This includes supporting people to stay in work and those further away from the labour market to find employment.”