Paul Butterworth, CEO at Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid, said:
“The latest labour market data reveals a mixed bag of news; vacancies continue to fall and there is minimal movement in the rates of employment and unemployment yet there remains high levels of economic inactivity whilst wages continue to outpace inflation.
“The labour market continues to be tight and challenging for businesses in Wales who are trying to recruit the right skilled staff. Almost two thirds of businesses in Wales experienced difficulties in recruiting suitably skilled staff as demonstrated in Q4 of 2023 according to our Quarterly Economic Survey.
“While the government at UK level took steps to address this in last week’s Budget with regards to childcare access, there is still more to be done to help people back into work and to progress such as ensuring fair and flexible workplaces with access to training and upskilling opportunities.
“Both Welsh Labour leadership candidates have expressed that they want to make Wales a desirable place to work, highlighting plans to support fair workplaces and opportunities for skills development which may help address and overcome some of the current barriers to work. We need to see this put into plan.”
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