13 Dec 2000
Claimant count down 400 on last month
Commenting today on the latest labour market statistics for Scotland, Scottish Secretary John Reid said:
"I am pleased to see that the number of people out of work and claiming benefit in Scotland has fallen by 400 over the last month and by 13,400 over the year. The claimant count unemployment rate, at 4.6 per cent, is at its lowest level since January 1976.
"The ILO unemployment rate stands at 6.9 per cent, unchanged from a year earlier.
"I am greatly encouraged by the increase in the number of Scots in employment which is up by 2,000 over the quarter to August-October. Employment in Scotland is at its highest level since 1960.
"This Government is committed to delivering employment opportunity for all. These figures show that we are achieving this aim in Scotland.
"Our New Deal for young people is just one area in which we are improving the lives of thousands of people. We have reached an important milestone, with 250,000 young people finding new jobs through New Deal – and over 29,000 of them in Scotland.
"The Government’s approach is working – creating a stable economic framework for business which is the right climate for job creation. Measures in the Regulatory Reform Bill, announced in the Queen’s Speech, will further assist Scotland’s 297,000 small and medium sized firms by cutting red tape, and I hope that this move to simplify business rules will be welcomed."
Latest Data
Employment
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) indicates that the number of people in employment in August - October 2000 was 2,377,000, up 2,000 compared with the previous three months and up by 44,000 on the same period a year ago. The employment rate amongst those of working age fell by 0.1 percentage points on the previous three months, to 73.2 per cent, but was up 1.2 percentage points on a year earlier.
International Labour Organisation (ILO) Unemployment
Seasonally adjusted ILO unemployment in Scotland rose by 6,000 over the quarter to August-October 2000 to 176,000. The ILO unemployment rate also increased by 0.2 percentage points to 6.9 per cent. Compared with the equivalent period one year earlier, ILO unemployment rose by 4,000 and the rate was unchanged.
Claimant Count Unemployment
Claimant count unemployment in Scotland, based on the seasonally adjusted number of people claiming benefit, fell by 400 in November to 111,700 and fell by 13,400 over the year. The claimant count unemployment rate in November was 4.6 per cent, no change from October. This corresponds to a fall of 0.6 percentage points over the year.
Jobcentre Vacancies
The seasonally adjusted level of vacancies notified to job centres in Scotland increased by 500 between October and November 2000 to 26,700 and was up by 400 compared with the same period a year ago.
NOTES FOR NEWS EDITORS
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. The ILO measure of unemployment, which is derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), is published 12 times a year for an average of the three preceding consecutive months. ONS recommend that seasonally adjusted data should be compared with the previous non-overlapping three month period: i.e. February-April data should be compared with November-January data. Quarter to quarter changes at country/regional level are particularly subject to sampling variability and should be interpreted in the context of changes over several quarters.