Annual Population Survey: October 2018 to September 2019

Employment

• The employment rate for the population aged 16 to 64 in Wales was 73.5% (up 0.9 percentage points on the year). The employment rate in the UK was 75.6% (up 0.6 percentage points on the year).
• Since 2001, the employment rate increased by 6.4 percentage points in Wales and by 3.3 percentage points in the UK.
• The highest estimated employment rates were in Flintshire (79.7%), Vale of Glamorgan (78.4%) and Isle of Anglesey (77.9%).
• The lowest estimated employment rates were in Ceredigion (66.1%), Rhondda Cynon Taf (68.7%) and Caerphilly (69.8%).

Unemployment

• The unemployment rate for the population aged 16 and over in Wales was 4.1% (down 0.5 percentage points on the year). The unemployment rate in the UK was 3.9% (down 0.3 percentage points on the year) in the UK.
• Since 2001, the unemployment rate fell by 1.3 percentage points in Wales and by 1.1 percentage points in the UK.
• The lowest estimated unemployment rates were in Flintshire (2.3%), Powys (2.5%) and Monmouthshire (2.5%).
• The highest estimated unemployment rates were in Pembrokeshire (6.4%), Rhondda Cynon Taf (6.4%) and Wrexham (6.2%).

Youth unemployment

• The youth unemployment rate in Wales was 12.6%, above the UK rate of 11.4%.
• Since 2001, the youth unemployment rate fell by 1.6 percentage points in Wales and by 0.3 percentage points in the UK.

Long term unemployment

• 27.3% of unemployed people in Wales had been unemployed for 12 months or more. This compares with 23.8% in the UK.

Economic inactivity

• The economic inactivity rate for the population aged 16 to 64 in Wales was 23.2% (down 0.6 percentage points on the year). The economic inactivity rate in the UK was 21.3% (down 0.4 percentage points on the year).
• Since 2001, the economic inactivity rate fell by 5.8 percentage points in Wales and by 2.6 percentage points in the UK.
• The lowest estimated economic inactivity rates were in Flintshire (18.4%), Isle of Anglesey (18.5%) and Vale of Glamorgan (19.2%).
• The highest estimated economic inactivity rates were in Ceredigion (31.8%), Blaenau Gwent (26.8%) and Swansea (26.8%).