Pupils need to be given better careers advice in schools to combat unemployment, an education charity has said.
School of Hard Knocks Cymru said more needed to be done following a rise in unemployment in Cardiff for the first time since 2016.
The overall rate in Wales rose to 5% in December 2017.
The Welsh Government were unavailable for comment.
The charity’s director Catryn Grundy said: “I definitely think there’s a shortage of really specific support to address some of those more complex barriers to employment. It’s about giving more intensive support to a fewer number of people.”
Ms Grundy said that from her experience with job centres, she thinks they seem to be frustrated and underfunded.
“There’s always more to be done,” Ms Grundy added.
Figures from the Office of National Statistics released this week showed the unemployment rate in Wales rose to 5% in December 2017.
The unemployment rate in Wales is one of the highest in the UK – only Yorkshire and Humberside, West Midlands and North East England are higher.
