13 Nov 2002
Claimant Count Unemployment down by 800 in October to 100,500
According to the latest labour market statistics published today, claimant count unemployment in October fell by 800 to 100,500, or 4.0 per cent of the workforce, and has fallen by 4,200 over the year.
Seasonally unadjusted employment in Scotland for the quarter July-September is 2,414,000, up by 16,000 compared with the same period last year. International Labour Organisation (ILO) unemployment fell by 6,000 to 171,000 over the same period. The percentage of people unemployed in Scotland is currently 6.6 per cent (ILO definition).
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:
"In the face of global uncertainty, today's figures confirm that the Scottish labour market is in a healthy shape, with employment close to historic highs and the unemployment rate around the lowest for a generation. There are 16,000 more people in employment than there were a year ago. This robust performance is reassuring in the face of the international downturn.
"Since Spring 1997 ILO unemployment in Scotland has fallen by 41,000 and the number of people out of work and claiming benefit has fallen by 58,600.
"I am particularly pleased with our record on youth and long-term unemployment. They have each been reduced by around 80 per cent four-fifths since 1997. The New Deal has made a significant contribution to our success in tackling these serious economic and social issues.
"Yet again, I must call for the avoidance of complacency. We are working hard to ensure that the Scottish economy is ready to face the future with confidence."
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 October to 100,500 and has decreased by 4,200 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 July-September 2002 was 2,414,000, up by 16,000 on the same period a year ago. The employment rate amongst those of working age is 74.4 per cent, up by 0.6 per cent on the same period last year.
International Labour Organisation (ILO) Unemployment
Seasonally unadjusted ILO unemployment in Scotland was 171,000, or 6.6 per cent. Compared with the equivalent period in 2001, ILO unemployment fell by 6,000 - a decrease of 0.4 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 issueding 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 data 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.