Jobless rate grows amid fears over new recession
● But the number of Scots in employment also increased by 3,000
The number of Scots out of work jumped by 13,000 as the slowdown in the economy began to bite, it has emerged.
However, the number of Scots in a job also rose slightly by 3,000, indicating an increase in the number of people coming into the labour market.
It mirrors the situation across the UK where the jobs market continued to boom with a rise of 115,000, while unemployment was also up 31,000, during the period between April and June. This is the same period which saw the UK economy shrink, figures released last week showed. Scottish Government employment minister Jamie Hepburn said the jobless situation Scotland was still strong over the past year.
“Scotland’s employment rate rose over the year to 75.4 per cent and remains close to the highest on record,” he said.
“The unemployment rate fell over the year to 3.6 per cent, also close to the record low, and 0.2 percentage points lower than the UK’S (3.9 per cent). Our unemployment rate has now been lower than the UK’S for 11 months in a row.
“Employment outcomes for women and young people continue to be better in Scotland than in the UK, with Scotland’s employment and unemployment rates for both women and those aged 16 to 24 outperforming the UK’S. However, while Scotland’s economy and jobs market remains strong and diverse, the UK Government’s EU exit plans – particularly the increasing likeliness of a no-deal Brexit – will cost jobs and make people poorer.
“Leaving the EU without a deal will hurt Scotland’s businesses, disrupt trade and impact on all aspects of society.”
The employment rate of 75.4 per cent in Scotland means there are about 2.7 million people in employment.
Across the UK, the employment rate stands at 76.1 per cent – the best since comparative records began – with around 33 million people in employment.
Over the same period, the unemployment rate in Scotland rose by 0.4 per cent to 3.6 per cent, with around 102,000 unemployed. Across the UK, there was a rise of 0.1 per centintheunemploymentrate to 3.9 per cent, with around 1.3 million unemployed. Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said the figures were a “mixed picture”.
He said: “Any increase in unemployment is a cause for concern. We cannot let up in our efforts to grow the Scottish economy. We will leave the EU on 31 October and begin to realise new opportunities for business.”
Scottish Chambers of Commerce chief executive Liz Cameron said: “The rise in Scotland’s unemployment rate is in line with the shrinking UK economy, which is cause for concern.
“This, combined with still rising wages, highlight the struggles employers face as the wild ride towards Brexit continues.”