Unemployment in Scotland falls to record low

Scotland's unemployment rate has fallen to a record low and remains lower than the UK as a whole, according to official figures.

The rate dipped to 3% between December and February - the lowest it has been since records began in 1992.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) also reported a record 2.4 million workers on payrolls in Scotland - 50,000 more than in February 2020.

The employment rate fell to just below 75.7% - just below the UK rate.

There was also a slight increase in the number of Scots unavailable for work.

Meanwhile, the latest earnings figures showed that pay continues to lag behind rising prices.

Annual growth in regular pay, which excludes bonuses, was 6.6% between December and February, the ONS said.

However, when taking into inflation into account, regular pay fell by 2.3%.

• More people looking for work as vacancies fall

• UK job vacancies fall for ninth time in a row

Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray welcomed the figures, saying the Scottish government was committed to getting more people into work.

He said Scotland could boost its workforce if it had devolved powers on migration.

He added: "Certain industries still face recruitment challenges so we are continuing to call on UK ministers to establish a joint taskforce on labour market shortages.

"An urgent rethink of UK government immigration policy is needed to enable increased access to the international labour and skills that Scotland needs for our economy and communities to flourish."

'This was completely different for me'

Cliff Davitt got back into work in May 2021 after having had a stroke two years before

Cliff Davitt starting working at Waitrose on Comely Bank Road in Edinburgh when he was 58. It was his first job in retail.

He had been out of work for about two years following a stroke, which made it impossible to continue his previous job due to it being "very physical".

Mr Davitt said: "My last job was in a warehouse so this was completely different for me, a complete eye-opener.

"The people here were lovely. I got great assistance, I still do because obviously they knew about my health issues."

Business in the Community's (BITC) Age at Work programme helped him get a six-week placement in May 2021 and later a full-time job in November that year.

Mr Davitt described working four days a week as "absolutely perfect" as he still has the option to work a fifth day as overtime.

"On your days off you actually enjoy them more because you've actually earned your days off," he added.

Nicola Smith is the interim chief executive of Timewise, a social enterprise that works with employers and policymakers to create more inclusive workplaces across the UK.

She said the increase in levels of economic inactivity were because large numbers of people aged 50 and over had stopped looking for work.

She added: "It's a very diverse group of people but one of the big reasons is that people need work that is more flexible, that is part-time, that they are able to balance alongside wider commitments in their lives and they just aren't able to find it.

"We've got this real mismatch at the moment between employers who need people to fill their vacancies and people who need the vacancies to look different.

"That's why improving access to good, flexible work is so important."