The number of young people without a job for more than a year has increased more than 12 times in the last four and a half years, according to trade union figures.

The latest Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) labour market report found that 5,210 Scots between the ages of 18 and 24 have been receiving Jobseekers Allowance for 12 months or longer.

That compared to a figure of 415 in December 2007, representing a rise of 1155%.

The STUC released the figures ahead of a debate on youth unemployment at its annual congress in Inverness.

Georgina Wardrop, of the STUC's youth committee, said the government needed to take "meaningful action" to tackle youth unemployment.

The 25-year-old said she had been unable to find full-time work since graduating with a first-class honours degree. She does not class as long-term unemployed because she has taken short-term part-time jobs.

She said: "I am well qualified, I am not lazy and I have tried, and tried again, to secure full-time employment. It is time that government at all levels takes meaningful action to provide hope and avoid another lost generation."

The STUC figures showed the number of 18 to 24-year-olds claiming jobseeker's allowance for more than a year had risen by 745% across the UK as a whole over the same period, with Scotland having a higher increase than any of the other countries in the United Kingdom.

By March 2012 there were 43,685 Scots aged between 18 and 24 claiming jobseeker's allowance, 127% higher than the total of 19,245 in December 2007.

Figures from last month also showed 15,325 young people in this age group had been out of work and receiving the benefit for more than six months.

Official figures published last week showed that total unemployment in Scotland - which includes people out of work and not eligible for benefits - had fallen to 219,000.

Despite that, the report said the STUC was still "extremely concerned about the state of the Scottish labour market", highlighting rising levels of unemployment amongst women and "persistently high" youth unemployment.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "The Scottish Government is committed to improving the employability of all Scotland's young people and have guaranteed every 16-19-year-old, who doesn't already have one, a place in education or training through Opportunities for All.

"This comes on top of confirmation by the First Minister that we have delivered a record 25,000 Modern Apprentice opportunities this year."