Labour Market Statistics

Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Welsh Language – in the Senedd at 1:58 pm on 5 June 2024.

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Photo of Jeremy Miles Jeremy Miles Labour 1:58, 5 June 2024

Well, actually, as I mentioned in my answer to Sam Kurtz earlier, I think the Member was absolutely right to put it in these terms. These are individuals whose lives are not perhaps being as fulfilled as they could be in terms of employment because of economic inactivity, which is the point I was making to Sam Kurtz earlier. It's really important that we support each individual to flourish at work and to have access to work that suits their needs and their aspirations. 

The point I was making earlier to him as well was the significant impact on the Welsh Government's employability programmes, which has been caused by the loss of European Union funding. That's not political knockabout, it's an absolute fact. That's simply the reality on the ground. But there are significant programmes that we use to support people back into work, whether that's ReAct+, Communities for Work Plus for those who've been longest unemployed and have perhaps persistent challenges in finding work, but also, importantly, working with the Department for Work and Pensions, for example. We often see work around Jobcentre Plus support as part of the mix, with Restart as part of this mix as well, and it's a suite of interventions that we know works most effectively.

I do think it's important, though, to make sure that we continue to look at our employability programmes, and I am undertaking a programme of review at the moment to see how they can be adapted in light of changing economic conditions, to make sure that they do continue to support individuals. So, I'll be saying more about that a little bit later in this year, and I hope we'll have an opportunity then to have a broader debate about that.