Scottish unemployment remains at record low

Unemployment in Scotland is still at a record low, according to the latest figures.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed the unemployment rate for those aged 16 and over was 3.2% between February and April this year - the same rate as the previous quarter.

Across the UK, the unemployment rate was 3.8%.

In Scotland, the employment rate rose by one percentage point on the previous quarter, to 75.5%.

Separate early estimates from the HMRC showed there were 2.42 million payrolled employees in Scotland in May. That is 37,000 more than in February 2020, before the pandemic.

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However, the ONS data showed that regular pay across the UK fell during the last quarter at the fastest rate in more than a decade, when taking into account rising prices.

Between February and April, pay excluding bonuses was down 2.2% from a year earlier when adjusted for inflation.

Prof Mairi Spowage of Strathclyde University's Fraser of Allander economic research institute said the latest figures "continued the story of a really, really tight labour market".

She added: "This what what we would call full employment. Basically, everyone who is wanting a job can find one, but what we are hearing from employers is that they are just having more and more difficulty finding staff."

Scotland's Employment Minister Richard Lochhead said the latest labour market figures showed that "the resilience of the Scottish economy is clear".

He added: "While today's figures show a strong recovery in Scotland's labour market, we continue to face economic challenges with the rising cost of living, the continued impact of Brexit, and recovery from the effects of the pandemic and the economic consequences of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.

"The Scottish government is firmly focused on delivering the ambitious National Strategy for Economic Transformation, which will help us build an economy of secure, sustainable and satisfying jobs."

'Strong labour market'

The UK government's Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: "With more Scottish workers on the payroll than before the pandemic and unemployment at historically low levels, today's figures show a strong Scottish labour market.

"During the pandemic, UK government loans to businesses saved up to 500,000 UK businesses and 2.9 million jobs.

"Now, as global issues put pressure on the cost of living, we are helping people into work and to progress in work, and to keep more of what they earn.

"We are also putting in place a £37bn financial support package."