Pembrokeshire has been hit by a double budget and unemployment blow, says Preseli Pembrokeshire AM Paul Davies.
The latest unemployment figures show that an extra 724 people in the county have claimed Job Seekers Allowance in the past three months.
"Historically Pembrokeshire has always had a lower level of unemployment than the rest of Wales but with 3.9 per cent of the county's population now out of work, we are sadly catching up fast," said Mr Davies.
"The unemployment rate in Wales is now higher than in any other UK nation. When you hear that 400 people applied for five jobs at the new Animal clothes shop in Carmarthen it shows just how serious the situation has got," he said.
And there was little cheer for local businesses and families in the budget.
"The Welsh Assembly Government is now facing £416 million of spending cuts because Labour has made such a mess of the economy," said Mr Davies.
"The 2p a litre increase in fuel duty will add an average of £200 per year to the average family's petrol bill and will also have an even greater impact on farmers and hauliers in Pembrokeshire.
"The increase in the tax on alcohol will also hit our pubs which are already finding it hard to survive in the face of cheap supermarket prices and increased costs."