Wales unemployment rate
Wales unemployment rate stood at 4.3% in Jun 2026, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is one of the indicators in the Labour market table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Apr 1992 to Jun 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Labour market table
| Indicator | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | 10-2025 | 09-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate by region | |||||||||||
| Wales | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4 | 3.6 | 4 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 5.8 | |
| North East | 5.1 | 5.4 | 5.7 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 6 | 7 | 6.8 | 6 | 5.7 |
Understanding wales unemployment rate
Determining the proportion of jobless residents actively seeking work within Wales provides a standardised measure of local labour market underutilisation. The calculation divides the count of survey-defined unemployed individuals by the total active workforce living inside the territory. It stands apart from regional series covering English administrative areas by reflecting the distinct legislative, economic, and demographic framework of the Welsh economy.
Evaluating these statistics requires awareness of potential sampling volatility that can exaggerate short-term movements in monthly publications. Analysts generally prioritise rolling quarterly figures to obtain a stable assessment of labour market direction. Comparing these figures against employment rates requires remembering that inactivity—those neither working nor seeking work—absorbs a significant portion of the adult population that neither rate captures.
Frequently asked questions
- What defines the geographic scope of this series?
- The data encompasses residents living within the territorial boundaries of Wales.
- Why are single-month changes considered unreliable?
- Smaller regional sample sizes introduce higher statistical noise, making rolling averages a safer analytical choice.
- How does economic inactivity relate to this measure?
- Inactivity measures working-age individuals outside the active workforce entirely, whereas this rate focuses strictly on active jobseekers.