Scottish Unemployment Down

Between October and December, 149, 000 people were out of work, that's according to the Office for National Statistics.

That's down by 15, 000.

Statistics also show employment in Scotland rose during the three month period by 20, 000 and now stands at 2.65 million.

The Secretary of State for Scotland Alistair Carmichael said: "Today's employment figures show this Government's long term economic plan is working.  Employment has reached a new record high, more women are in work than ever before and the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance has fallen to its lowest level since August 2008.
 
"Since 2010 we have cut taxes for business, created incentives for new jobs, tackled the deficit and we are continuing to work to rebalance the economy.  As a result there are now 187,000 more people in work, inflation is at a record low and wages are on the increase meaning more hard working Scots and their families have more money in their pockets. 
 
"With economic activity and employment levels in Scotland above the UK average, it is clear our businesses are making the most of the opportunities that comes with from being part of the UK with our shared currency, pensions and a large and diverse economy which is forecast to grow faster than any other G7 country in the last year.  We’ve had to take difficult decisions and tackle the deep economic problems we inherited head on. These figures today show our decisions are benefiting communities across Scotland."
 
Headline Statistics for the October to December 2014 quarter:
 

• Employment in Scotland increased by 20,000 over the quarter, and increased by 63,000 over the year, to stand at 2,625,000.
• The Scots employment rate increased over the quarter to 74.4%. The rate is above the UK average of 73.2%.
• Unemployment in Scotland fell by 15,000 over the quarter and fell by 48,000 over the year.  The level now stands at 149,000.
• At 5.4%, the Scots unemployment rate is below the rate of 5.7% for the UK as a whole.
• Economic Activity increased by 5,000 over the quarter and now stands at 2,773,000. Also, the Economic Activity rate increased   over the quarter to stand at 78.7%.
• In January 2015, the number of people out of work and claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) was 81,100.

Deputy First Minister and Finance Secretary John Swinney said: "Today's figures are hugely encouraging and demonstrate a robust, more inclusive and active Scottish workforce supporting our economy which in itself is going from strength to strength. We must remain absolutely focused on continuing to deliver those better economic prospects and vigilant about challenges within different sectors of the economy.

"Scotland is outperforming the UK on all three headline labour market indicators with employment continuing to increase and unemployment down. We have moved up two places in European youth unemployment rate comparisons at a time when we strive to create not just more, but better, jobs for those living in Scotland.

"Unemployment is now back to levels not seen since 2009 as the Scottish economy continues to recover.

"Female employment and participation are both at a record high, and above UK rates. The gap between male and female employment rates in Scotland has shrunk to a record low of 4.0 percentage points, compared to 9.5 percentage points in the UK. Not only is the employment rate in Scotland higher, we are also seeing more women in employment.

"This clearly demonstrates that the Scottish Government can do much to secure economic growth, tackle inequality and protect public services within the limited powers we have, but we want to, and can do more.

"UK Government proposals for the devolution of support to the unemployed fall well short of what was promised, hampering efforts to address joblessness by devolving only a section of the current support network and leaving important levers to support people as soon as they become unemployed in the hands of UK ministers.

"We will be working closely with stakeholders to ensure these proposals are improved for Scotland and that they reflect the views of ordinary people."

The Deputy First Minister continued: "The Scottish Government is committed to working with a range of partners to support all of Scotland's young people towards and into employment. And it's encouraging to see the youth unemployment level and rate fell to their lowest in five years, whilst the youth employment level increased. While we are approaching the pre-recession level of youth unemployment - a good benchmark - we have ambition to see this go much further.

"I strongly believe the public sector should lead by example and take forward the recruitment and training of young people by engaging with the education system to provide development opportunities for young people. Organisations such as Scottish Enterprise who are achieving the status of Investors in Young People set a good example and I hope to see more public sector bodies following their lead."