No room for complacency over jobless figures

A fall in Welsh unemployment is no reason to become complacent about the country’s economic prospects, Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Cheryl Gillan MP has warned.

Welcoming the drop, to 121,000 or 8.5% of the workforce, Mrs Gillan said: “While the fall in unemployment is welcome, job losses over the last week have highlighted the incredible fragility of the Welsh economy and how we cannot afford to be complacent about today’s news.

“The unemployment rate in Wales remains higher than any other UK nation, a quarter of the working population are economically inactive, and 21,000 people have lost their jobs in the last 12 months.

“Families and individuals across Wales are the real victims of Gordon Brown’s recession. That’s why we need a fresh approach to creating and protecting jobs, supporting businesses, and investing in skills and training.

“By providing tax breaks for companies which create new jobs – as Conservatives have proposed – we can get Wales working.”