Annual Population Survey: April 2019 to March 2020

Employment

• The employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 in Wales was 73.7%, up 0.5 percentage points on the previous year. The UK rate was 75.9%, up 0.6 percentage points over the year.
• Since 2001, the employment rate has increased by 6.5 percentage points in Wales and by 3.6 percentage points in the UK.
• The highest estimated employment rates were in Flintshire (80.1%), Monmouthshire (79.5%) and Powys (77.6%).
• The lowest estimated employment rates were in Swansea (68.6%), Merthyr Tydfil (68.9%) and Rhondda Cynon Taf (69.8%).

Unemployment

• The unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over in Wales was 3.7%, down 0.7 percentage points compared with the previous year. The UK rate was 3.8%, down 0.2 percentage points over the year.
• Since 2001, the unemployment rate has fallen by 1.7 percentage points in Wales and by 1.2 percentage points in the UK.
• The lowest estimated unemployment rates were in Ceredigion (2.5%), Vale of Glamorgan (2.7%) and Flintshire (2.7%).
• The highest estimated unemployment rates were in Merthyr Tydil (5.6%), Caerphilly (5.1%) and Neath Port Talbot (4.8%).

Youth unemployment

• The youth unemployment rate in Wales was 11.3%, below the UK rate of 11.7%.
• Since 2001, the youth unemployment rate fell 2.9 percentage points in Wales and by 0.2 percentage points in the UK.

Long term unemployment

• 26.2% of unemployed people in Wales had been unemployed for 12 months or more. This compares with 23.6% in the UK.

Economic inactivity (excluding students)

• The economic inactivity rate for people aged 16 to 64 in Wales was 19.8%, up 0.1 percentage points compared with the previous year. The UK was 17.2%, down 0.3 percentage points over the year
• Since 2001, the economic inactivity rate fell by 6.6 percentage points in Wales and by 4.2 percentage points in the UK.
• The lowest estimated economic inactivity rates were in Monmouthshire (14.3%), Flintshire (14.9%) and Powys (16.5%).
• The highest estimated economic inactivity rates were in Blaenau Gwent (24.6%), Merthyr Tydfil (23.2%) and Swansea (23.1%).