Employment in Scotland rose by 17,000 over the last quarter, illustrating the underlying resilience of the economy, according to Office for National Statistics figures published today.
Figures for March to May 2016 show a strengthening position for employment and unemployment. They also show that Scotland has:
• 18,000 fewer people unemployed. • More women in work than the rest of the UK. • Continued to outperform the rest of the UK on youth employment, unemployment and in activity rates. • The second highest employment rate of the four UK nations.
In addition, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures show that the Scottish economy grew 2.1% in 2015, despite a challenging external environment and low oil prices.
Kenneth Gibson said: “While there is much to be welcomed from these figures, including 61,000 more people employed in Scotland now than pre-recession, there is more that we can and must do. The Scottish economy has a strong core, yet businesses face uncertainty during Brexit negotiations. Therefore we must not only work hard to protect Scotland’s relationship with the EU but strive to make the most of current and future opportunities in our economy as set out in our economic strategy.
“Once again Scotland is outperforming the rest of the UK in terms of youth employment. We are determined to do even more and our ambition is to reduce youth unemployment by 40% by 2021 through implementing our youth employment strategy.
“It is also significant that the female employment rate has risen again. This is a testament to our commitment to ensuring women have equality of opportunity in the labour market.
“Scotland is home to many thriving businesses. Scottish companies are innovative in their products and processes and compete strongly in export markets across the World. We are committed to improving economic growth, productivity and social inclusion and will achieve this by investing in our people and infrastructure, fostering a culture of innovation, boosting inclusive growth and promoting Scotland on the international stage.”
Labour Market Statistics can be found here.
GDP figures can be found here.
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