Listen
Labour market statistics
18/03/2009
Scotland continues to have higher employment rates and lower rates of unemployment than the rest of the UK, statistics published today show.
Unemployment in Scotland rose by 1,000 over the previous three months and by 3,000 over the year, to 5.1 per cent - compared with a UK wide increase of 165,000 over the past three months and 421,000 over the year, to 6.5 per cent.
The employment rate in Scotland fell to 75.5 per cent, compared with a UK rate of 74.1 per cent.
Enterprise Minister Jim Mather said:
"These figures show that Scotland continues to substantially outperform the rest of the UK, with lower unemployment and higher employment levels.
"But we are clearly facing significant economic difficulty and there can be no room for complacency.
"The Scottish Government is doing everything within its powers to keep the economy moving and support employment.
"As part of our comprehensive economic recovery programme the Scottish Government is strengthening our Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) initiative to help individuals who have lost their job or are facing redundancy.
"And our programme also focuses on generating work, not least through the capital spending we have brought forward.
"Our priority is to continue driving forward our recovery programme, but with greater powers we could do even more.
"And instead of a fixed budget from Westminster the Scottish Government must have the economic and financial powers we need to inject demand and confidence into the Scottish economy."
Scottish Government actions on PACE include:
- Working with employers at the earliest possible opportunity to try and find alternatives to redundancy
- Multi-agency teams are ready to mobilise when job losses are announced. These teams, which include staff from Skills Development Scotland, Jobcentre Plus and enterprise agencies take the services we provide right into the factories, shops, offices and communities hit by the losses
- A national redundancy helpline and a new redundancy website were launched at the beginning of February. This means that more people and businesses than ever before can access the help they need at the touch of a button
- In addition, SDS and our partners are working closer than ever to match the employment, training and other opportunities available to individual needs and circumstances