This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Smart, Successful Scotland progress report
27/08/2004
The latest report measuring Scotland's economic performance against strategic objectives was published today.
Measuring Scotland's Progress Towards a Smart, Successful Scotland follows similar reports published in 2002 and 2003. Designed to provide a long term picture of the Scottish economy, the progress measures in the report are closely tied to the priorities set out in the Executive's enterprise strategy, A Smart, Successful Scotland (SSS) - Growing Businesses, Global Connections, and Skills and Learning.
Commenting on the report, Enterprise Minister Jim Wallace said:
"I welcome this latest Measuring Progress report. We want to grow and strengthen the Scottish economy and to do that it is vital we have an accurate picture of our strengths and weaknesses.
"Improving productivity and growth is a medium term task - not something that can be achieved overnight. The report shows some encouraging signs of progress but also highlights the real challenges we still face.
"We will set out shortly how we intend to continue to meet these challenges - and exploit opportunities - in the forthcoming refreshed versions of our Framework for Economic Development in Scotland and A Smart, SuccessfulScotland."
The report shows a slight improvement in business formation, R&D spend and employment rates but a relative decline in labour productivity.
A Smart, Successful Scotland - Ambitions for the Enterprise Networks was published in 2001. The production of the Measuring Progress reports is managed by the Joint Performance Team, a collaboration of senior staff in the Executive, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands Enterprise. The analysis of the progress measures was carried out this year by a team led by Professor Alan McGregor, Director of the Training and Employment Research Unit at the University of Glasgow. All of the data contained in the report is already publicly available but the report allows comparisons to be made between Scotland's performance and the performance of a range of OECD nations.
The Executive's Framework for Economic Development has been revised and will be published shortly. A Smart, Successful Scotland, which provides strategic direction to the enterprise networks, is also being updated and is expected to be published in the autumn.