Wales unemployment rises above UK average

The figures suggest the jobs market is weakening, but the jobless rate is still low compared with previous years

Unemployment in Wales has risen to 4.2% - higher than the 3.9% UK average, according to the latest statistics.

The figures for June to August 2019 show a rise from March to May when the jobless rate, both in Wales and across the UK, was 3.8%.

The rate is still close to its lowest level for 44 years.

The figures suggest 32,000 fewer people were in work in Wales than in the previous quarter - and 30,000 fewer than the same period last year.

The employment rate in Wales was down from 75.2% in the previous quarter to 74.1% - lower than the UK average of 75.9%.

• UK jobs market 'shows signs of slowing'

Out of all the UK nations and regions, only Yorkshire and Humber, Northern Ireland and the north-east of England had lower rates of employment.

The rate of economic inactivity - people of working age who are not looking for work, either because they are sick long-term, studying full-time, full-time carers or early retirees - jumped from 21.6% to 22.5% over the quarter - higher than the UK rate of 21%.

The lowest unemployment rate of all the UK regions was over the Severn bridge in the south-west of England, which includes Bristol, where the unemployment rate fell to 2.4%.