Wales employment rate: residents aged 16 to 64
Wales employment rate: residents aged 16 to 64 stood at 72.1% in Mar 2026, according to Nomis — official labour market statistics (ONS). It is one of the indicators in the Labour market structure table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Dec 2004 to Mar 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Labour market structure table
| Indicator | 03-2026 | 12-2025 | 09-2025 | 06-2025 | 03-2025 | 12-2024 | 09-2024 | 06-2024 | 03-2024 | 12-2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment rate, aged 16 to 64 | |||||||||||
| Wales | 72.1 | 72.5 | 72.3 | 72.7 | 73.4 | 72.8 | 72.7 | 73 | 73.5 | 74.1 | |
| Scotland | 74.6 | 74.7 | 74.4 | 74.1 | 74 | 74.2 | 73.8 | 74.4 | 74.2 | 74.7 |
Understanding wales employment rate: residents aged 16 to 64
This indicator measures the percentage of the resident population aged sixteen to sixty-four in Wales who report being in paid employment, based on household survey responses. The numerator includes all individuals working as employees or self-employed, alongside unpaid workers in family businesses, while the denominator covers all civilian residents within the specified age range. Excluded from active employment are those without work who are either not seeking employment or not available to start.
When evaluating this data, analysts must account for sampling variability, which produces wider confidence intervals at the national sub-group level than for the UK aggregate. Seasonal hiring variations can influence quarterly outcomes, making twelve-month comparisons more reliable for trend analysis. Retrospective revisions are applied when population estimates are updated to incorporate new demographic findings. Users must ensure consistency when comparing this metric with claimant-based welfare statistics, which measure different aspects of the labour market.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this measure cover people living in communal residential settings?
- No, the survey methodology is designed to capture individuals living in private households only.
- How are individuals with multiple jobs counted in this regional series?
- Each working individual is counted only once, based on their primary employment status during the survey week.
- What causes revisions to historical employment rates for this area?
- Updates to official population projections require re-weighting of survey samples, altering historical rates.