Polish are most ‘economically active’ in Scotland

Alex Neil: Ethnic communities a great asset to Scotland. Picture: John Devlin

More than half (56 per cent) were full-time employees, 18 per cent were part-timers, 6 per cent were either full or part-time self-employed and just 5 per cent were unemployed.

Overall, 86 per cent of Polish people who completed the census were “economically active”, a category which relates to whether or not a person aged 16 and over was working or looking for work – more than any other section of the population.

This compares with 63 per cent of the Scottish population who were economically active overall, of which 36 per cent worked as full-time employees and 14 per cent part-time. The figures were released in an analysis by Scotland’s Chief Statistician of equality, including ethnicity, religion and disability, based on 2011 census data. This revealed findings on the labour market, education, housing and transport for equality groups.

The census figures, which date from 2001 to 2011, show the Polish community has grown from 2,505 to 55,231.

Communities secretary Alex Neil said: “Scotland’s greatest asset is its people. The contribution our ethnic communities make to both our economy and our society cannot be underestimated.”