Hike in older workers

Job figures double in a decade

The number of older people working in Perth and Kinross has more than doubled in the past decade, new figures have revealed.

Over 15 per cent of the population over the age of 64 are in employment, compared with only 7.7 per cent before the credit crunch.

In 2007, just 2000 over 64s were in work, but that number now sits at 5200, according to statistics released by the Scottish Government.

The figures mean Perth and Kinross has the highest proportion of workers over the age of 64 in Scotland out of 20 local authorities who were able to provide accurate data.

The Regional Employment Patterns in Scotland study also revealed the number of women working in Perth and Kinross has risen in the past 10 years.

But in the same period, less men find themselves in work.

There was a total of 73,200 people working in the region last year - and increase of 5600 since 2007.

Of that number 34,100 were women, meaning 73 per cent of the female population was in work compared with 70.3 per cent in 2007.

However, although the long-term picture is one of growth, last year’s figure was actually down from 2016 when 36,500 women were in work.

Just over 80 per cent of men in Perth and Kinross are in employment, down from 81.3 per cent in the past decade.

Overall employment levels sat at 76.7 per cent last year, above the Scottish average. Nine local authorities recorded higher figures last year.

The public sector continues to be the biggest employer in the region, with 27.6 per cent of employed people working in public admin, education and health, the joint fourth lowest in the country.

Just under a fifth of workers are employed in the tourism sector, with 14.1 per cent employed in finance.