Employment in Scotland rose by 51,000 over the last quarter - the largest quarterly rise on record - illustrating the underlying resilience of the Scottish economy.
Labour Market figures for April to June 2016 shows that Scotland’s labour market continues to strengthen:
The unemployment rate fell by 1% over the quarter, an 26,000 decrease.
Scotland continues to outperform the rest of the UK on female employment and unemployment rates.·
Furthermore, Scotland outperforms the rest of the UK on youth employment and unemployment rates.
Commenting, Kenneth Gibson said:
“There is much to be welcomed from these figures. However, we know that there is more that we can and must do. The Scottish economy is fundamentally strong but as businesses face uncertainty during negotiations over our future relationship with the European Union (EU),the SNP Government will work hard to protect It and strive to make the most of current and future opportunities in our economy.
“The additional £100 million stimulus package announced by the First Minister is designed to help and support new and existing jobs and alleviate business concerns at this difficult time.
“The figures published today once again demonstrate 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% between 2014 and 2021 through the implementation of Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy – Developing the Young Workforce.
“I am also very pleased that the female employment rate has risen over the quarter. This is a testament to the work we have been doing to ensure women have the same equality of opportunities in the labour market as their male counterparts.
“Scotland is home to a thriving business sector, with Scottish companies employing young people, innovating in their products and processes, and competing effectively in export markets across the World.”
Labour Market figures are available here.
ENDS
