Scotland’s unemployment rate for people aged over 16 has decreased by 0.9% over the last quarter, according to newly published figures by the Office for National Statistics.
The unemployment rate for this category is now 3.2%, which is lower than the 3.7% across the UK.
In Cunninghame North, the number of people claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance or out-of-work Universal Credit dropped by a whopping 38.3% from 3,099 to 1,913 over the last year. This means 1,186 fewer people have had to claim these benefits, as many have now found employment.
The increase in the employment rate was driven by the movement of people aged 16 to 64 years from unemployment to employment.
Separate HM Revenue & Customs early estimates show 2.42 million payrolled employees in Scotland this April, which is 29,000 more than there were in February 2020, prior to the pandemic.
Kenneth Gibson MSP said:
“While Scotland continues to recover from the COVID years, we are dealing with the rising cost of living, the negative effects of Brexit and the economic impacts of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. The SNP Government is committed to doing the utmost to help people back into employment.
“In this financial year alone, the SNP Government is spending up to £113 million is on employability services, including £60 million for including £60 million confirmed in the 2022/23 Budget for No One Left Behind and the Young Person’s Guarantee, plus additional investment in the Parental Employability Support Fund and Tackling Child Poverty.”
The ONS Labour Force statistics can be found via this portal.
ENDS
