A number of job fairs in Pembrokeshire have been helping to get more people into work.

Taking place towards the end of February and early March, the goal was to connect recruiters and job hunters, facilitating discussions about prosperity in career pursuits.

Implying a positive trend, a drop of 3 per cent has been witnessed in the number of 18-24 year olds on benefits within Pembrokeshire, while the 50+ demographic showed an improvement of 2 per cent.

Furthermore, efforts by Jobcentre staff to assist clients through qualifications and training have proved fruitful in supporting businesses.

Special attention is being given to the care sector, with a countywide Care Jobsfair taking place on May 14 at the Pembrokeshire Archives Haverfordwest.

Fred Hatton, a representative from the DWP employer and partnership team, emphasised the importance of applicants meeting the specifications of job descriptions.

This may entail conducting research and, in some cases, undertaking pre-application skills training.

He said: "Very often, free training is available for those out of work. Benefit claimants should seek advice from their Jobcentre work coaches; those not on benefits should seek advice from their local Careers Wales advisors."

He endorsed the Careers Wales website as a valuable tool for job seekers, adding that increasing the labour force is vital for helping businesses with fulfilling their vacancies and fuelling the economy’s growth.

Nationwide, there are more than 908,000 roles lying vacant, a statistic that has surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

In Wales, 1.420 million people are employed currently, marking a decrease of 47,000 in the quarter and a fall of 6,000 in the year, with the unemployment rate standing at 3.8 per cent.

Positive employment news emerged from Câr-Y-Môr, Wales' pioneer regenerative seaweed and shellfish farm which recently announced the construction of a new, first of its kind seaweed processing facility in Pembrokeshire.

The firm already employs 14 people and is continually striving to create environmentally and financially viable work sources.

The Crown Estate’s new research suggests up to 5,300 jobs and £1.4 billion could be injected into the UK economy if the supply chains and infrastructure related to new floating wind farms off South Wales and South West England are leveraged.

Mel Stride MP, Secretary of state for work and pensions, explained that the government's plan was bearing fruit with the number of employed individuals and payroll records at an all-time high, while inactivity was dropping.

There are plans to aid a million people in finding, retaining, and thriving at work and he further revealed pre-emptive measures to help workers benefit from last week's tax cuts, boosting the labour force by an equivalent of 200,000 workers.