Scotland to stage summit on women’s employment as jobless total rises

SCOTLAND is to stage its first ever Women’s Employment Summit later this year, in an effort to cut the chronic level of women on the dole.

First Minister Alex Salmond said the summit will bring the public, private and voluntary sectors together to help more women back into work.

The number of jobless women in Scotland rose by 5,000 according to latest unemployment statistics released last week – while the overall jobless total dropped by 12,000.

Mr Salmond also revealed that 26,427 modern apprenticeships were delivered last year in a speech to the STUC in Inverness today, against the annual target of at least 25,000 and 60 per cent more than in 2007.

The First Minister said: “Jobs are this government’s top priority and that’s a value we share with the STUC. Last week’s employment statistics showed that Scotland had the biggest fall in unemployment in over a year and now has lower unemployment, higher employment and lower economic inactivity than the UK as a whole.

“But there is still much more to do, and one of the most pressing issues that we must tackle is unemployment among women who have not shared in that recent job success.”

There are now 106,000 unemployed women in Scotland, compared with an overall total of 219,000.

Grahame Smith, STUC General Secretary said: “The STUC is seriously concerned about the rapid increase in women’s unemployment in Scotland.

“Over the past year, women’s ILO unemployment has increased by over 19 per cent while male unemployment has actually declined. The STUC warmly welcomes the First Minister’s announcement today that the Scottish Government will soon hold Scotland’s first Women’s Employment Summit.”