Recovery boosted by women in work
Scotland second in Europe with 71pc employment
SCOTLAND’S economic recovery has been boosted by figures showing it has the second highest rate of women in work in Europe. Only Sweden tops Scotland’s female employment rate of 71.1 per cent, with the UK as a whole four places back on 67.4 per cent, according to Eurostat, the EC statistics office.
The Scottish Government claimed the impressive figures were down to efforts to tackle gender inequality at work.
But Tories said they would not have been achieved without the UK’s long-term economic plan to cut benefits and get more people back into work.
Female and youth employment have been two of the key success stories in a patchy Scottish recovery.
As the Scottish Daily Mail revealed last week, middle-aged breadwinners have been among the l osers, with a growing number on the unemployment scrapheap.
Annabelle Ewing, Youth and Women’s Employment Minister, said: ‘Our improvements across women’s employment, unemployment, activity rates and closing the gender gap have been steady and consistent.
‘Scotland continues to be a better place to be a working woman than elsewhere in the UK and these latest figures confirm that we are performing better than the majority of the 28 EU countries.
‘We have all seen the challenges that have had to be overcome through the recession and we have made creating a fairer, more equal workforce a key to our economic recovery.’
She added: ‘Our commitment to leading the way on 50:50 gender representation on boards; to giving young people real hope and prospects for employment and a career and championing a true l i ving wage are bound together under our goal of fair work for all employees.
‘We have made real progress on breaking down the traditional barriers that we inherited, but calling out and condemning inequality in the workplace in all its forms needs to continue until the playing field is truly equal and your gender or background is irrelevant because you are judged on your abilities and potential.’
Women have also been less likely to be affected by job losses in the crisis-hit North Sea oil industry, much of which remains male-dominated.
A Bank of Scotland report revealed yesterday that the slowdown in jobs creation since just before last year’s referendum has finally eased and there are signs that wages are finally on the increase.
Murdo Fraser, Scots Tory enterprise spokesman, said: ‘It’s very good news indeed that Scotland has the second highest rate of f emale employment across Europe and it’s all thanks to the UK Government.
‘The SNP loves to take credit for employment figures but the truth is that without the UK Government’s strong economic policy, this would never have been achieved.’
The Mid- Scotland and Fife MSP added: ‘ It’s becoming increasingly clear that the Conservatives are a party which stands up for the working person, increasing opportunity for all.
‘ The Conservatives have achieved great results in sorting out the UK economy and getting the country back on track and deserve a round of applause for achieving such a wonderful result for female employment in Scotland.’
‘Progress made in removing barriers’