Scottish employment rate up as the UK’s falls

THE number of people in work in Scotland has risen. A total of 2,637,000 people in Scotland were in employment for the three months to the end of February, giving an employment rate of 74.2%, according to the latest data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

This is an increase of 11,000 people – 0.5 percentage points – from the previous quarter. The UK employment rate in the same period was 74.5% but this was down 0.5 percentage points on the previous quarter.

A total of 111,000 people in Scotland were unemployed in the three months ending in February, giving an unemployment rate of 4.0%, down by 11,000 from September to November 2023.

More than a fifth of workingage people in Scotland – 777,000 – were classed as economically inactive between December and February, giving an economic inactivity rate of 22.6%, a marginal drop of 0.2 percentage points from the previous three months.

Wellbeing Economy Secretary Mairi McAllan said: “The increase of 12,000 in the number of payrolled employees over the year to March 2024 in Scotland is welcome.

“It is also encouraging to note that the median monthly pay for payrolled employees has grown at a faster rate over the year in Scotland than in the UK as a whole – at 6.3% compared with 5.6%.”

She added: “The Scottish Government remains committed to using the limited powers of devolution to support more people into work through employability and skills support.”