Press release: JANUARY 2017 LABOUR MARKET STATISTICS FOR SCOTLAND

The Scottish unemployment rate is 5.1 per cent, which is above the rate of 4.8 per cent for the whole of the UK.

The labour market statistics also show that employment in Scotland fell by 14,000 over the three months to November 2016. The number of those in employment in Scotland now stands at 2,604,000.

The Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell, said:

Today’s statistics underline the need for the Scottish Government to focus all their efforts on supporting jobs and economic growth, because they paint a worrying picture.

Whereas across the UK the news is better, here in Scotland unemployment is up, employment is down and Scotland’s economy continues to lag behind that of the UK.

The UK Government has devolved a raft of new powers to Holyrood, agreed a fair financial settlement as a strong foundation, and delivered £800 million of extra investment for the Scottish Government to spend. The Scottish Government now needs to use all of these powers to secure and strengthen Scotland’s economy.

Headline statistics for the September to November 2016 quarter:

• Employment in Scotland fell by 14,000 over the quarter, and by 29,000 over the year, to stand at 2,604,000.

• The Scottish employment rate fell by 0.5 percentage points over the quarter to 73.4 per cent. The rate is below the UK average of 74.5 per cent.

• Unemployment in Scotland rose by 11,000 over the quarter and is down 12,000 over the year. The level now stands at 139,000.

• At 5.1 per cent, the Scottish unemployment rate is above the UK’s rate of 4.8 per cent.

• Economic activity fell by 2,000 over the quarter and now stands at 2,743,000. Also, the economic activity rate decreased over the year to stand at 77.5 per cent.

• In December 2016, the number of people out of work and claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance was 52,700 and claimant count, including Universal Credit was 81,500.

Latest Data for Scotland: Employment

The Labour Force Survey indicates that the number of people in employment in Scotland from September to November 2016 was 2,604,000. Employment was down by 14,000 compared to the previous three months, and by 29,000 compared to the same quarter last year. The employment rate was down 0.5 percentage points on the previous quarter, and down by 1.4 percentage points compared the same quarter last year. By comparison, the Scottish employment rate is below the UK average of 74.5 per cent.

Unemployment

Unemployment in Scotland was up by 11,000 over the quarter September to November 2016 at 139,000. The level was down 12,000 on the same quarter last year. The unemployment rate was up 0.4 p.p. on the previous quarter at 5.1 per cent, which is down 0.4 p.p. over the year.

Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit

The number of people claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance (JSA) fell by 1,100 to 52,700 in December 2016. The level is down by 11,200 on December 2015. The claimant count level (JSA and Universal Credit) is down 1,600 over the month at 81,500 and the rate is down 0.1 p.p. over the month and up 0.2 p.p. the year to 2.9 per cent.

Economic Activity

The number of economically active (defined as those in employment or ILO unemployed, and seasonally adjusted) in Scotland in the September to November 2016 quarter was 2,743,000. This was down 2,000 on the previous quarter, and by 41,000 on prior year levels. Among those aged 16-64 the economic activity rate was 77.5 per cent, down 0.2 p.p. on the previous quarter, and down 1.7 p.p. over the year.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/january-2017-labour-market-statistics-for-scotland

seen at 18:30, 19 January in Announcements on GOV.UK.
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