Unemployment numbers fall in Wales

The number of people looking for work in Wales has dropped to 93,000 - from 100,000 in the previous quarter, official figures show.

There has also been an increase in those with jobs - up 56,000 on the same time last year.

First Minister Carwyn Jones said Wales was continuing to "outperform" the rest of the UK on increasing employment.

Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb said there was now a "golden opportunity" for Wales to raise its sights.

However, Wales still has one of the lowest overall levels of employment in the UK at 70.9% - only Northern Ireland and north east England have lower rates.

But Carwyn Jones hailed the latest set of economic figures as vindication for Welsh government policies.

"Over the past 12 months employment in Wales has increased at a faster rate than almost everywhere else in UK and now stands at a level close to a historic high," he said.

"Our commitment to helping create new jobs and assisting more people into work or training in Wales is unrelenting."

The Welsh Secretary was also quick to praise the UK government's economic record.

"This Government has done a lot of the heavy lifting over the past five years to create the right conditions for growth," he said.

"Now is the time to raise both our sights and our ambition.

"Wales doesn't have to languish at the bottom of the league tables and we now have a golden opportunity to close the productivity gap on the rest of the country and shake off our historic reputation as the 'sick man of Britain'."

ANALYSIS by Sarah Dickins, BBC Wales economics correspondent

Despite the fact employment in Wales is 56,000 higher than a year ago, Wales still has one of the lowest levels of employment in the UK.

That is largely due to high levels of economic inactivity, people not working nor available to work.

In Wales, that accounts for 24.2% of 16-64 years olds.

Only Northern Ireland (27.6%) and the North East of England ( 25.4% ) have higher levels of economic inactivity.