Employment rate, 16–64 during each first minister's tenure
4 first ministers, ranked by how the employment rate, 16–64 changed from their first day in office, next to the United Kingdom over the same months. Politare shows what happened during a tenure; it does not claim the office-holder caused it.
| # | First minister | Country | In office | Total | vs UK | Per year | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lab Carwyn Jones | Wales | 10 Dec 2009 – 13 Dec 2018 | +8.5 pp Nov 2009 → Nov 2018 | +3.5 pp UK +5.0 pp | +0.9 pp/yr | |
| 2 | Con David Cameron | England | 11 May 2010 – 13 Jul 2016 | +4.2 pp Apr 2010 → Jun 2016 | 0.0 pp UK +4.2 pp | +0.7 pp/yr | |
| 3 | Lab Jack McConnell | Scotland | 22 Nov 2001 – 16 May 2007 | +3.2 pp Oct 2001 → Apr 2007 | +3.2 pp UK 0.0 pp | +0.6 pp/yr | |
| 4 | Lab Eluned Morgan | Wales | 6 Aug 2024 – 12 May 2026 | +2.7 pp Jul 2024 → Apr 2026 | +2.3 pp UK +0.4 pp | +1.5 pp/yr | |
| 5 | Lab Donald Dewar | Scotland | 13 May 1999 – 27 Oct 2000 | +1.7 pp Apr 1999 → Sep 2000 | +0.9 pp UK +0.8 pp | +1.2 pp/yr | |
| 6 | Con Theresa May | England | 13 Jul 2016 – 24 Jul 2019 | +1.6 pp Jun 2016 → Jun 2019 | −0.1 pp UK +1.7 pp | +0.5 pp/yr | |
| 7 | Lab Tony Blair | England | 2 May 1997 – 27 Jun 2007 | +1.2 pp Apr 1997 → May 2007 | −0.6 pp UK +1.8 pp | +0.1 pp/yr | |
| 8 | DUP Arlene Foster | Northern Ireland | 11 Jan 2016 – 9 Jan 2017 | +1.1 pp Dec 2015 → Dec 2016 | +0.7 pp UK +0.4 pp | +1.1 pp/yr | |
| 9 | SNP John Swinney | Scotland | 8 May 2024 – now | +1.0 pp Apr 2024 → Jul 2026 | +0.3 pp UK +0.7 pp | +0.4 pp/yr | |
| 10 | Lab Keir Starmer | England | 5 Jul 2024 – 20 Jul 2026 | +0.5 pp Jun 2024 → Jun 2026 | −0.1 pp UK +0.6 pp | +0.3 pp/yr |
Showing 10 of 24 tenures.
Sorted by total, highest first. Every row is indexed to the last month complete before the first day in office ("from" marks a start that had to move because that period had no data, or because the period cut it); the United Kingdom is measured over the same months. Levels are per cent changes, rates are differences in pp; "per year" compounds levels and divides rates. Tenures with under 12 months, or under three observations, are left out. % of the population aged 16–64 · ONS Labour Force Survey, rolling three months dated at their last month, seasonally adjusted · nation data · as of Jul 2026.