What was claimed
Unemployment in Wales, at 4.1%, is the lowest in the UK.
Our verdict
It’s the lowest of the four countries within the UK, but not the lowest of any region.
Unemployment in Wales is the lowest in the UK
7 October 2016
“I think we can recognise that unemployment in Wales, and this is something we can celebrate, because I won’t talk Wales down, is that unemployment in Wales is the lowest across the whole of the UK. It’s at 4.1% where it’s 4.9% across the rest [of the UK].”
Alun Cairns MP, 6 October 2016
In Wales the unemployment rate was 4.1% between May and July 2016. This means that around 63,000 people between 16 and 64, who were available for or seeking work, did not have jobs.
This is a decrease of around 35,000 people and 2.3% since the same time last year.
Unemployment across the whole of the UK is at 4.9%. This means that 1.63 million people were unemployed.
Wales does have the lowest unemployment rate of any of the four nations of the UK. Northern Ireland had the highest with 5.6% unemployment.
The only regions of the country with a lower unemployment rate than Wales are the East and South East of England. The highest rates of unemployment were found in the North East, the West Midlands and London.