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More working in Scotland, but employment rate still lower than UK total

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More working in Scotland, but employment rate still lower than UK total

The number of Scots in work has risen in the last three months, but the country’s employment rate is below the national UK level.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found there were 2,651,000 people in employment between October to December 2023 in Scotland.




But while this was up by 18,000 compared with the previous three months, the total was 60,000 lower than the same period in 2022.

The employment rate in Scotland was 74.4%, the ONS data showed, compared with 75% for the UK as a whole.

Scotland’s unemployment rate was also higher than for the UK, with 4.5% out of work from October to December, compared with 3.8% nationally.

A total of 126,000 Scots were unemployed in the last three months of 2023, up by 4,000 on the previous quarter and 30,000 higher than October to December 2022.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The record high number of payrolled employees in Scotland is welcome, however, the wider data reflects the ongoing challenges facing the UK economy, including inflationary pressures and the continuing impacts of Brexit.

“The forthcoming Green Industrial Strategy will help businesses and investors realise the enormous economic opportunities of the global transition to net zero and create well-paid green jobs across Scotland,“ continued the statement.

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