14,000 Added to Jobless Total in Three Months ; Wales' Rise Biggest of Any Uk Region

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UNEMPLOYMENT in Wales rose by 14,000 in three months to 125,000, the latest figures revealed yesterday. The increase was the biggest of any nation or region in the UK for the second successive quarter, eclipsing slight falls during the summer which briefly bucked the UK trend.

The Welsh jobless total represents 8.7%, a rise of 1% of the workforce compared to the UK's 2.46m, up 0.1% to 7.8%. Welsh ministers were 'encouraged' that the monthly increase in the claimant count level in Wales continued to slow. "During the early stages of the global downturn, the claimant count was rising by around 4,000 per month - tailing off to around 1,000 per month during the summer," a WAG spokesman said. "Today's rise of 300 - the smallest increase since the start of the recession - is an indication that the recession could be bottoming out, although we are not at all complacent andwill continue to fight for every job and to maintain the skills of our workforce."

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14,000 Added to Jobless Total in Three Months ; Wales' Rise Biggest of Any Uk Region

Last month's figures showed a loss of 24,000 jobs in the quarter to August. The Tories s...

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