JOB figures released this week show a continuing decline in unemployment and a rise in employment in Ceredigion.

Speaking to the Cambrian News, Ceredigion Job Centre manager    Shan Gwyn said there was a two per cent reduction in the number    of 18 to 24-year-olds unemployed since last year, and a 42 per cent reduction since 2010, when the UK was still in the throes of the    global recession.

With only 480 16 to 64-year-olds claiming out-of-work benefits, 105    of these who are between the ages of 18 and 24, the figures paint a positive picture for the economic outlook for Ceredigion.

But it is also important to look at other figures to give a more complete picture of the county’s economy.

Map 1 (right) shows how Ceredigion compares to the rest of Wales when it comes to the percentage of the economically active - people who are either in employment or unemployed - population who are in employment.

The darker red counties have the lowest numbers of people in employment while the lighter red counties have the highest. Click the county to see the figures.

    The figures, which come from the ONS annual population survey     [Jan 2015-Dec 2015], show that Ceredigion has the lowest     percentage of its economically active population in employment     when compared other counties in Wales.

    This might seem at odds with the number of out-of-work benefit     claimants in Ceredigion, which is one of the lowest in Wales.

    Figures released this week show the county is joined only by Powys     in only having one per cent of its population claiming out-of-work     benefits.

    Map 2 (left) shows how the lighter red counties have the lowest     number of out-of-work benefit claimants while the darker red areas     have the highest. Click the county to see the figures.

Another area where Ceredigion fares badly compared to other    places in Wales is wages, according to the ONS annual survey of hours and earnings - workplace analysis [2015]. Only Gwynedd and Merthyr Tydfil have lower average gross weekly income than Ceredigion.

Map 3 (right) shows that the darker red counties have the lowest average wages while the lighter red areas have the highest. Click the county to see the figures.

We would love to know your thoughts. Let us know what you think in the comments section.