Unemployment remains lower in Scotland than rest of UK

Unemployment in Scotland is now 0.5% lower than the UK as a whole as the jobs market north of the border continues to boom.

The employment rate in Scotland rose by a quarter to 75.8%

The number of Scots out of work fell by 1000 to 91,000 between March and May this year. The unemployment rate of 3.3% is close to the lowest on record and 0.5 lower than the UK wide figure.

The jobs picture remains strong UK-wide, with a record high of 32.75 million people in work, while 1.29 million were out of work, the lowest since at least 1992.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell said: "It is very positive to see that employment levels remain high while the number of people who are unemployed has stayed at almost a record low.


“The UK Government is ensuring a strong Scottish economy by investing in city and growth deals across Scotland."


Scottish Government business minister Jamie Hepburn welcomed the "strong results" for Scotland’s labour market.


"Our unemployment rate has now been lower than the UK’s for 10 months in a row," he said.


“But it’s not just headline rates where we’re doing well. The employment rate for Scotland’s women rose over the quarter and year to 72.5% - continuing to outperform the UK where the employment rate is lower at 72.0%."