Scots facing ‘lost decade’

UNEMPLOYMENT is likely to rise next year as Scotland faces a “lost decade” of growth, according to a new report.

The Ernst & Young Scottish ITEM Club study predicts a modest decline in total employment during 2012 followed by sluggish jobs growth until at least 2015.

It says that Scotland is not expected to return to peak employment until the 2020s as the country, along with much of the developed world, endures a “grinding” recovery.