Scottish unemployment falls

UNEMPLOYMENT in Scotland has fallen, with figures today showing 5,000 fewer people on the dole queue.

The latest figures showed overall unemployment - which includes those who are jobless but not eligible for benefits - was down over the period August to October, with 234,000 people out of work.

But the total is still 45,000 more than at the same time last year.

The figures also showed a small rise in the number of Scots who are out of work and claiming jobseeker's allowance.

This increased by 300 from October to 135,600 in November - 100 more than the same time in 2009.

Unemployment across the UK climbed to 2.5 million in the quarter to October, with the jobless rate in Scotland remaining above the UK average.

The unemployment rate north of the border stands at 8.7 per cent, compared to 7.9 per cent for the UK as whole.