Chris Elmore, MP for Ogmore, has welcomed the fall in the number of people in the constituency not in work following the publication of August’s employment figures, but warns that “complacency is not a luxury we can afford”.

Figures published this week show that in August 2023, there were 1,325 actual claimants in Ogmore constituency, which was 2.7% of the population aged 16-64. The equivalent UK claimant rate was 3.7%.

Moreover, there were 280 claimants aged 18-24, which was 4.7% of the population aged 18-24. The equivalent UK claimant rate was 4.9%.

Over the past year the number of claimants has fallen by 160 in the Ogmore constituency, as shown in Table 1.

Chris Elmore, MP for Ogmore, said:

“When I meet employers in our communities it’s clear that they value our highly-skilled and dedicated workforces. Residents in our area work hard and that is being rewarded with unemployment falling in Ogmore, which helps put our local economy on a more secure footing.

There have been a number of schemes implemented by the Welsh Government to unlock the potential of our young people and these figures show that they are working. The Young Person’s Guarantee provides everyone aged 16 to 24, living in Wales, with support to gain a place in education or training, help to get into work or self-employment. These figures show this policy is working.

Complacency is not a luxury we can afford, however. Although the fall in those without work is welcomed in Ogmore, when you look across the UK the number not in work has increased. Indeed, when you look at the UK statistics you see the biggest drop in employment ever recorded outside of a recession. This shows how fragile the economy is.”