Unemployment Rates Up In Scotland

10 September 2019, 11:28

Unemployment in Scotland has risen by more than 20% to stand at 110,000, new figures have revealed.

The latest figures, covering the period May to July, showed an increase of 19,000 in the jobless total - up by 20.6% on the previous three months.

Meanwhile, the number of Scots in work fell by 33,000 over the quarter to 2,669,000.

The employment rate among the working age population - those aged between 16 and 64 - fell by one percentage point from the previous quarter to 74.9%

In contrast across the UK employment rate was measured at 76.1% - the joint-highest total since comparable records began in 1971.

As well as having a lower employment rate than the UK, the figures, published by the UK Office for National Statistics, showed Scotland now has a higher unemployment rate.

In Scotland, the unemployment rate was 4%, compared to 3.8% in the UK as a whole.

The number of men out of work rose from 51,000 in the February to April to 62,000 in May to July.

There was also a rise in female unemployment over the period, from 40,000 to 48,000.