Recruitment Agencies based in West Glamorgan, Wales, UK

West Glamorgan is a county in central-south Wales, which includes the districts of Lliw Valley, Neath, Swansea, and Port Talbot. It has an estimated population of 365,500.

Economic overview

Rates of employment differ around the county; in Swansea, 3.4% of the population are unemployed, whilst in Neath and Port Talbot, 3.9% are unemployed. Compared to the Welsh average of 4.2%, these figures are relatively healthy.

Key industries and employers

The most important economic sectors in the area are public administration, distribution, education and health, hotels/restaurants, banking, finance and insurance, and public sector. Swansea in particular is home to many major employers such as the DVLA, Welsh Assembly Government, the Department for Work and Pensions, BT, NTL, and Admiral Insurance. However, Corus also have a major base at the Port Talbot Works, which employs 3,000 staff, and the Neath and Port Talbot area is also home to big companies like Tata, General Electric, Crown Food UK & Ireland, Sofidel, and Hi-Lex Cable Systems Ltd, amongst others.

21% of West Glamorgan's inhabitants possess NVQ4 and above qualifications, which is considerably lower than the averages for Wales (29.3%) and Great Britain (33%). The gross weekly pay for a full-time member of staff is around £446 (the Welsh average is slightly higher at £455.)

Recruitment agencies believe that West Glamorgan is a good source of job vacancies (particularly in the public sector), and confidence in the local economy has been boosted by the significant fall in unemployment over the last 12 months.