Judged in human resource terms, Wales is one of the most competitive regions of the UK. As survey after survey has demonstrated and as employers throughout the country will testify, workers in Wales have built on their prodigious manufacturing productivity and are committed to meeting the expectations of today's employers.   

By embracing new techniques, skills and working practices they have proven themselves to be competitive, skilled, adaptable and versatile.

The latest statistics indicate that Welsh unit labour costs are 8.4% below the UK average. It is their productivity - allied to excellent labour relations - rather than lower earnings that make Carmarthenshire so competitive.

The skills readily on offer cover every spectrum of business, with a stronger emphasis than the national average on manufacturing and a high percentage working on a part time or interim basis.

Carmarthenshire’s diverse skills base was a major factor in attracting Mitsui Kinzoku  - just one of Carmarthenshire Council's latest inward investors.

All this is backed by readily available grants to assist in reskilling new workers and enhancing the skills of existing staff, building upon superb higher education standards and links with Universities.

Unemployment Statistics

Unemployment Statistics have traditionally been the one economic indicator above all others that has been produced on a regular basis.

The latest quarterly figures for August 2009 illustrate that 3,614 claimants or 3.5% of the workforce are unemployed in the County compared with 4.2% for the UK and 4.4% for Wales.