Unemployment in Wales continues to fall

Unemployment in Wales continues to be low but it has become the only UK area in which the number of people employed fell in the three months to June.

The Bureau for National Statistics ONS said the jobless rate in the UK is 3.8%, the same as for the UK as a whole. According to the Office for National Statistics ONS, pay has dropped by 3% on the year when rising prices are taken into account.

The figures show that Wales has seen the biggest increase in the number of people not working but not available for work between March and June.

It could be due to a number of reasons, including being unwell, caring for someone or being a full-time student.

In June there were 7,000 fewer employed in Wales than in the first three months of the year.

Pay for those in work has gone up but the ONS said regular pay fell to the sharpest rate on record between April and June. Prices are rising at a rate of 9.4% and there are warnings that the economy will fall into recession.

The real value of pay is continuing to fall, according to Darren Morgan, director of economic statistics at the ONS.

Excluding bonuses, it is still dropping faster than ever since comparable records began in 2001, he said.