Unemployment in Wales remains static despite soaring elsewhere in the UK, figures showed yesterday.

In the three month to April, the Welsh jobless total was 109,000, the same figure as the previous quarter and 7.6% of the workforce.

But across the UK the number out of work rose to 2.26 million, the highest level since late 1996. The total claimant court – the number receiving jobseeker’s allowance – is also up to 1.54 million, the highest total since the summer of 1997.

Wales has seen a wave of job losses since the recession began, with 1,100 posts going at steel-maker Corus and hundreds more disappearing from manufacturing firms, particularly in the motor supply chain.

But there are signs that other sectors of the economy are picking up. Outsourcing contact centre Conduit, with offices in Swansea and Cardiff, has seen its payroll increase from 900 to 1,500 in the past year.