Statistics published by the Welsh Government and the Office for National Statistics. Each chart covers the years since the 2016 Senedd election, or as far back as the figures go, and marks each election since.
Employment rate
73.3%
The year to 30 June 2026
United Kingdom
75.5%
A year earlier
72.7%(the year to 30 June 2025)
Wales
United Kingdom
The share of people aged 16 to 64 in work, over the twelve months to each date, in Wales and the UK.
From the Annual Population Survey, a sample survey: small changes from one period to the next may not be real. Each figure covers twelve months, so the figures for neighbouring dates share most of their months. They differ from the monthly headline labour market figures.
Employment rate: every figure in the chart, newest first.
Period
Wales
United Kingdom
The year to 30 June 2026
73.3%
75.5%
The year to 31 March 2026
72.1%
75.4%
The year to 31 December 2025
72.5%
75.5%
The year to 30 September 2025
72.3%
75.5%
The year to 30 June 2025
72.7%
75.4%
The year to 31 March 2025
73.4%
75.4%
The year to 31 December 2024
72.8%
75.3%
The year to 30 September 2024
72.7%
75.3%
The year to 30 June 2024
73.0%
75.3%
The year to 31 March 2024
73.5%
75.4%
The year to 31 December 2023
74.1%
75.7%
The year to 30 September 2023
74.1%
75.7%
The year to 30 June 2023
73.6%
75.5%
The year to 31 March 2023
73.0%
75.4%
The year to 31 December 2022
73.3%
75.5%
The year to 30 September 2022
73.4%
75.4%
The year to 30 June 2022
73.7%
75.4%
The year to 31 March 2022
73.6%
75.1%
The year to 31 December 2021
73.0%
74.7%
The year to 30 September 2021
72.8%
74.5%
The year to 30 June 2021
72.1%
74.3%
The year to 31 March 2021
72.2%
74.7%
The year to 31 December 2020
72.7%
75.1%
The year to 30 September 2020
73.2%
75.4%
The year to 30 June 2020
73.7%
75.8%
The year to 31 March 2020
73.6%
75.8%
The year to 31 December 2019
73.2%
75.6%
The year to 30 September 2019
73.5%
75.6%
The year to 30 June 2019
73.2%
75.5%
The year to 31 March 2019
73.1%
75.2%
The year to 31 December 2018
73.1%
75.0%
The year to 30 September 2018
72.6%
75.0%
The year to 30 June 2018
72.6%
74.9%
The year to 31 March 2018
72.8%
74.8%
The year to 31 December 2017
72.4%
74.7%
The year to 30 September 2017
72.0%
74.4%
The year to 30 June 2017
71.6%
74.2%
The year to 31 March 2017
71.5%
74.0%
The year to 31 December 2016
71.2%
73.8%
The year to 30 September 2016
71.1%
73.7%
The year to 30 June 2016
71.3%
73.6%
Economic inactivity
23.7%
The year to 30 June 2026
United Kingdom
20.9%
A year earlier
24.1%(the year to 30 June 2025)
Wales
United Kingdom
The share of people aged 16 to 64 neither in work nor looking for work, over the twelve months to each date, in Wales and the UK.
From the Annual Population Survey, a sample survey: small changes from one period to the next may not be real. Each figure covers twelve months, so the figures for neighbouring dates share most of their months. They differ from the monthly headline labour market figures.
Productivity: every figure in the chart, newest first.
Period
Wales
2023
84.9
2022
83.6
2021
82.5
2020
84.4
2019
86.0
2018
82.7
2017
83.7
2016
83.5
Typical full-time pay
£704
2025 (provisional)
United Kingdom
£767
A year earlier
£676(2024)
Wales
United Kingdom
Median gross weekly pay of full-time employees working in Wales and the UK, in April each year.
Not adjusted for inflation. The figures are for people working in Wales, wherever they live, from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, a sample survey.
14 commitments in the Welsh Government's Programme for Government 2026 to 2030 fall under this brief, in the Programme's own words. Under each is how often it has been raised in the Seventh Senedd.
National productivity mission
Progress our productivity mission which will consider all government activity with reference to driving up productivity.
Establish a new Economic and Fiscal Commission to help us set targets, collect relevant data and measure progress to make government more accountable for its economic decision making.
Raised in 1 speech. Most recently on 30 September 2026, by Janet Finch-Saunders. Matched on: “economic and fiscal commission”.
Create a new, business‑led National Development Agency, at arms‑length from the Welsh Government, to help Welsh businesses to grow, innovate and trade internationally, secure inward investment, and increase numbers of good quality, well‑paid and sustainable jobs. The agency will work for people across the nation and across the economy.
Raised in 40 speeches, 1 agenda item and 4 written questions. Most recently on 30 September 2026, by Shav Taj. Matched on: “new development agency”.
Reform the Development Bank of Wales and the financial products it offers to support the growth of medium‑sized businesses and ensure that its financing promotes and embeds fair work and a Real Living Wage.
Raised in 16 speeches and 2 written questions. Most recently on 19 October 2026, by Andrew Slade. Matched on: “Development Bank of Wales”.
Aim to increase the level spent on procuring goods and services from Wales‑based suppliers towards 70%, using public procurement as a driver of economic growth. We will introduce a new measure of Welsh economic value from public procurement to maximise the economic and social benefits that public spending delivers for Wales.
Raised in 17 speeches and 4 written questions. Most recently on 9 October 2026, in a written question from Joshua Kim. Matched on: “public procurement”, “Wales-based suppliers”.
Develop the supply chain for Welsh timber, using public procurement to stimulate demand, and promote innovation and business growth in the sector, whilst improving resilience and working with the sector to deliver on the Welsh Timber Industrial Strategy.
Raised in 2 speeches. Most recently on 14 October 2026, by Llyr Gruffydd. Matched on: “Welsh timber”.
Supporting small businesses and high streets to thrive
Reform and rebalance business rates to better support high street businesses in hospitality, leisure and retail.
Raised in 76 speeches, 1 agenda item, 15 written questions and 3 petitions. Most recently on 20 October 2026, in a written question from Paul Davies. Matched on: “business rates”.
Use the Town Centre Taskforce to explore the options around revitalising our town centres including bringing empty properties into use as social housing.
Raised in 23 speeches, 5 written questions and 1 petition. Most recently on 13 October 2026, by Rhun ap Iorwerth. Matched on: “town-centre taskforce”.
Provide more specialist support to create, grow and sustain new co‑operative, employee‑owned, and social businesses, and improve their access to finance through the Development Bank of Wales.
Raised in 5 speeches and 1 written question. Most recently on 6 October 2026, by Dafydd Trystan Davies. Matched on: “social enterprises”.
Deliver a new Digital Strategy which will support digitisation and innovation in the Welsh economy, drive forward public service digital transformation, and deliver the conditions to support safe and ethical adoption of AI to support productivity and more efficient public services.
Raised in 104 speeches, 1 agenda item, 9 written questions and 1 petition. Most recently on 21 October 2026, in a written question from Darren Millar. Matched on: “AI”.
Source: Welsh Government, Programme for government 2026 to 2030: New ambition for Wales, first published on 10 September 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Mentions are found by matching the names of plans, bodies and schemes; a mention says nothing about progress.
From the Welsh Government
The Welsh Government's latest press releases and Cabinet statements on this brief.
The independent expert advisory panel advising the government on the design of the new economic development agency met for the first time in Cardiff yesterday.
Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, Adam Price, is in Boston this week to build new trade and investment links in artificial intelligence, technology, and digital sectors.
The full membership of the Welsh Government’s Town Centre Taskforce has been announced today, as members come together for its inaugural meeting as the next phase of work begins.
Each bar is the share of that party's speeches and questions in the Seventh Senedd that touched this brief, so large and small parties can be compared. The upright line marks the chamber as a whole: 9.3%.
Ministers' meetings with outside organisations and their engagements on this brief, from the register the Welsh Government publishes every three months. 17 since the 2026 election; the latest:
24 September 2026
TATA
Meeting, Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy
24 September 2026
Cardiff Capital Region Investment Zone
Meeting, Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy
13 September 2026
Visit to the Radyr Tap to Announce Business Rates Cut
Meeting, First Minister of Wales
11 September 2026
Celtic Freeport Colleges Skills Partnership Launch Event - Swansea University
Meeting, Deputy Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education
3 September 2026
Pre record - Foundational Economy Expos events
Meeting, Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy
27 August 2026
Prime Minister visit to Port Talbot Tata Steel
Meeting, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
12 August 2026
PASC-WTA Joint meeting with CMECE - discussion on 182 day threshold/visitor levy
Meeting, Cabinet Minister for Finance
11 August 2026
Anglesey Show - Federation of Small Businesses stand
Engagement, Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability
50% of Welsh adults said the UK economy would be very important to their vote.
46% of Welsh adults said jobs and wages would be very important to their vote.
37% of Welsh adults said shops and the local town centre or high street would be very important to their vote.
Ipsos asked 747 Welsh adults aged 16+ between 2 April 2026 and 8 April 2026, before the 2026 Senedd election. People could choose as many issues as they liked. More on public opinion.
Written questions
69 written questions to the Welsh Government on this brief in the Seventh Senedd, 57 answered so far. The latest:
The Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) is a proposed rail testing facility located at Nant Helen and Onllwyn on the border of Neath Port Talbot and Powys, which would be accompanied by renewable energy generation, a data centre, a hotel and a technology park.
6bn, making the USA Wales’s largest single country trading partner, by value. This shouldn’t be confused with Wales largest trading partner overall, which is by far the EU. This profile explores the Wales-USA trading relationship.
Spring and summer 2026 have been exceptionally hot and dry in Wales. This weather can affect everything from health to agriculture. Climate change is amplifying this extreme weather, making it more common and intense.
As with other parts of the UK, people across Wales have been hit by a living standards squeeze since the 2008 financial crisis, which has been exacerbated over recent years by cost of living pressures.
Tagged for: “fair work”, “Development Bank of Wales”, “development agency”Official Record
Month by month
9
219
150
279
140
May 2026JunJulAugSeptOct
Contributions tagged in each month of the Seventh Senedd. No sittings were held in August 2026.Show the numbers
Month
Contributions
May 2026
9
June 2026
219
July 2026
150
August 2026
No sittings
September 2026
279
October 2026
140
How this brief is put together
This brief follows the Programme commitments listed above and tags the record with the phrases below. Keyword matching can miss business that discusses the issue in other words, and can tag a passing mention.
Show the phrases it uses
A contribution is tagged when its English text contains one of these phrases. Capital letters don't matter, except in abbreviations, which must match exactly. It is also tagged when the title of the agenda item or question it was part of contains one, as long as the contribution is at least 30 words long. The brief is also tagged whenever one of its themes is.
