Unemployment figures show 47,000 more Scots out of work as lockdown impact hits

Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop said that a £2.3 billion package has been provided to support businesses

The number of people in work in Scotland fell by 47,000 between March and May as the impact of lockdown hit, according to the latest figures.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows the number of people aged 16 to 64 in employment fell to 74.1% (2.642 million), a 1.2% drop on the previous quarter.

The number of people who were out of work rose by 15,000 between March and May this year.

Scotland’s unemployment rate rises to 4.3%

ONS figures show the unemployment rate for people aged over 16 rose to 4.3% (120,000) during that period, a 0.6% increase on the previous quarter.

This was higher than the UK unemployment rate of 3.9%.

Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: "For the period March to May 2020, Scotland's employment rate estimate fell over the quarter to 74.1% and the unemployment rate estimate rose over the quarter to 4.3%.

"These statistics cover around two months of lockdown measures before businesses started to open again, but do not reflect the full picture of our labour market as the job retention scheme will have offered some relief to many employers and employees.

"We want to provide long-term certainty for those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, by continuing to keep companies in business and people in jobs, and have provided a package of support to businesses that totals over £2.3 billion.

This includes the £185 million additional support fund for businesses otherwise unable to access support.

"The job retention scheme will end in October but we believe the UK Government must extend the scheme, particularly for sectors that have been most affected by Covid-19, for example travel and tourism and hospitality, given that most of these sectors will not have fully recovered by October."

She said the Scottish Government has committed a further £100 million for "employability and training support" to help anyone who has lost their job or is at risk of losing their job, as well as those looking for work.

Additional reporting by PA

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website