15 Jan 2003
Unemployment falls again; claimant count now below 100,000
Claimant count unemployment in Scotland has fallen below the 100,000 mark for the first time since 1975, to 99,100. Seasonally unadjusted International Labour Organisation (ILO) unemployment in for September-November 2002 fell by 11,000 to 156,000, compared with the same period a year earlier.
The ILO unemployment rate is down 0.5 per cent over the year to 6.1 per cent, while the claimant count rate stands at 4.0 per cent. Employment rose to 2,415,000, which is 74.5 per cent of the working aged population in Scotland (up 0.8 per cent).
Due to the integration of the new census records the comparison of total employment and ILO unemployment figures with the equivalents for previous quarters and those for the UK cannot be made (see first note below).
Commenting on the statistics Scottish Secretary Helen Liddell said:
"I am very pleased with the latest Scottish employment figures. There are now 24,000 more Scots employed compared with a year ago, unemployment has fallen again, and indeed the number of people out of work and claiming benefit has fallen below 100,000 for the first time since 1975, to 99,100.
"This is testament to the success of the policies of the Government and the Scottish Government. Sound management of the economy and the determination of the Scottish Government to raise levels of skills and training shows that partnership works to the benefit of all.
"Youth and long-term unemployment have each been reduced by over 80 per cent four-fifths since 1997. The New Deal has made a significant contribution to our success in tackling unemployment."
Latest Data for Scotland
Claimant Count Unemployment
Claimant count unemployment in Scotland based on the seasonally adjusted number of people claiming benefit fell by 800 in December to 99,100 and has decreased by 5,500 over the year. The claimant count unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.0 per cent.
Employment
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) indicates that the seasonally unadjusted number of people in employment in September-November 2002 was 2,415,000, up by 24,000 on the same period in 2001. The employment rate amongst those of working age is 74.5 per cent, up by 0.8 per cent on the same period last year.
International Labour Organisation (ILO) Unemployment
Seasonally unadjusted ILO unemployment in Scotland was 156,000, or 6.1 per cent. Compared with the equivalent period in 2001, ILO unemployment fell by 11,000 - a decrease of 0.5 per cent.
NOTES FOR NEWS EDITORS
1. Much of the labour market data for Scotland comes from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As population information from the 2001 Census becomes available over time the basis upon which the LFS statistics is calculated requires revision by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS issued revised data at the UK level on the 30thOctober. ONS advise that revised figures for Scotland will not be available until March 2003 at the earliest. Until then data for ILO unemployment and total employment in Scotland will be seasonally unadjusted and based upon pre-Census mid-year population estimates.
The main impact of this is that the Scottish data for total employment and ILO unemployment will not be comparable with the UK data for the same time period. It will also not be possible to compare seasonally unadjusted Scottish data for the latest three-month period e.g. July - September with the preceding three month period (April - June) due to seasonal factors influencing the unadjusted data.
It will be possible to compare the Scottish figures with the same time period for previous years e.g. 2002 compared with 2001, though these figures will all be subsequently revised.
The da for claimant count unemployment is unaffected by these changes to the LFS.
2. The count of those claiming unemployment-related benefits continues to provide a full and timely range of data at sub-Scotland level for local authorities, TTWAs and parliamentary constituencies. The claimant count is also the main source of information on unemployment by age and duration. Data on claimant count unemployment in the New Deal age and duration groups are available from 1985.
3. The internationally comparable International Labour Organisation (ILO) measure of unemployment is the headline figure published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for UK regions/countries.