Coronavirus: Scottish government warns of impact on jobs

The coronavirus outbreak will have an impact on employment figures, the Scottish government has warned.

The latest official figures show a 31,000 rise in the number of people in work but they cover the period from November to January.

This was before the coronavirus pandemic hit the UK.

The employment total north of the border grew to 2,679,000, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed.

So far, two people have died in Scotland and 195 have tested positive for the virus.

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Business minister Jamie Hepburn said the Scottish government was trying to ensure "workers get as much support as possible".

'Emerging situation'

He said: "The Covid-19 outbreak is an emerging situation for the whole country and will impact on our labour market.

"The Scottish government is focused on ensuring workers get as much support as possible from employers and government during this uncertain period."

Mr Hepburn was speaking after ONS data revealed Scotland's employment rate had risen to 74.9% over the three months to January.

This was lower than the rate for the UK as a whole, which stood at 76.5%.

Meanwhile, the number of Scots who were unemployed fell by 4,000 over the quarter to stand at 96,000.

That gave Scotland a jobless rate of 3.5% - lower than than the 3.9% recorded for the UK as a whole.

There are fears of widespread job losses in sectors such as hospitality

People have now been told to cut social contact by, for example, stopping going to pubs, restaurants, theatres and cinemas during the outbreak, leading to fears of widespread job losses in sectors such as the hospitality industry.

Last week, Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes announced a £320m rescue package for businesses.

The cash is being made available to support business through the Covid-19 outbreak.

She also revealed that a £50m hardship fund will be made available to people who lose their jobs as a result of a downturn caused by the virus.

The action has been taken to try to limit the impact of the pandemic on Scotland's economy.