Unemployment in Scotland dips to lower than the UK rate

Unemployment in Scotland has dropped in the last quarter and is now below that of the UK as a whole, the latest figures indicate.

Data from the Office for National Statistics showed the unemployment rate north of the border for those aged 16 and over was 3.9% between June and August.

This was 0.9% down on the previous quarter and below the UK-wide rate of 4.0%.

The figures indicate 108,000 people in Scotland were out of work between June and August.

The employment rate for those aged 16 to 64 was 73.7%, up 0.8% on the previous quarter.

This was below the UK-wide rate of 75.0%.

In Scotland, there were 2,658,000 people in that age group in employment.

The rate of people classed as economically inactive – defined as people not in employment who have not been seeking work within the past four weeks and/or are unable to start work within the next two weeks – in Scotland between June and August was 23.2% of people aged 16-64, a total of 796,000 people.

This has dipped by 0.1% since the previous quarter but is higher than the UK rate of 21.8%.

Deputy First Minister and Economy Secretary Kate Forbes said: “A strong economy is vital to achieving the Scottish Government’s priorities of eradicating child poverty, boosting economic growth, tackling climate change and improving public services.

“Today’s figures show that payrolled employment in Scotland is at near record levels and median monthly pay for payrolled employees is at its highest since records began in 2014.

“While the Scottish economy is proving resilient with evidence of growth, households and businesses are still feeling the effects of harsh trading conditions and the global cost-of-living crisis.

“This is why our Programme for Government is focused on creating the conditions for prosperity. We are committing more than £5 billion this year to grow the economy, accelerating the expansion of the offshore wind sector and attracting investment through the Scottish National Investment Bank.”