17 Jan 2001
Employment at 40 year high, unemployment at 25 year low,
says Reid
Commenting today on the latest labour market statistics for Scotland, Scottish Secretary John Reid said:
"I am delighted that today’s figures show employment is at a 40 year high while the number of Scots out of work is at its lowest rate since January 1976. Youth unemployment has been cut by a staggering 73 per cent since we first piloted the New Deal for 18-24 years olds in January 1998 – proof positive that our approach is working.
"Today’s figures are evidence of the continuing strength of the labour market in Scotland. There continues to be a tremendous growth in the number of Scots with jobs. Increasing by 19,000 over the quarter to September-November, there are now 65,000 more people in employment than this time last year. Employment in Scotland is at its highest level since 1960.
"ILO unemployment has fallen by 6,000 over the quarter to September-November and now stands at 6.4 per cent. This represents a fall of 0.3 per cent over the quarter and 0.7 per cent over the same period last year. ILO unemployment is now at its lowest rate since 1992.
"The number of people out of work and claiming benefit has remained unchanged over the last month at 112,200 in December. The claimant count rate, at 4.6 per cent, is at its lowest level since January 1976.
"The Government is committed to ensuring the long-term health of the labour market. We are determined to work with the Employment Service and the private sector to develop new ways to make the transition to work easier.
"The new initiative launched by the Chancellor last week to help jobseekers open a bank account is exactly the kind of practical assistance we are keen to see, helping people in their search for work."
Latest Data
Employment
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) indicates that the number of people in employment in September - November 2000 was 2,395,000, up 19,000 compared with the previous three months and up by 65,000 on the same period a year ago. The employment rate amongst those of working age rose by 0.5 percentage points on the previous three months, to 73.9 per cent, and was up 2.1 percentage points on a year earlier.
International Labour Organisation (ILO) Unemployment
Seasonally adjusted ILO unemployment in Scotland fell by 6,000 over the quarter to September-November 2000 to 164,000. The ILO unemployment rate also fell by 0.3 percentage points to 6.4 per cent. Compared with the equivalent period one year earlier, ILO unemployment fell by 14,000 and the rate fell by 0.7 percentage points.
Claimant Count Unemployment
Claimant count unemployment in Scotland, based on the seasonally adjusted number of people claiming benefit remained unchanged in December at 112,200 and fell by 11,700 over the year. The claimant count unemployment rate in December was 4.6 per cent, no change from November. This corresponds to a fall of 0.5 percentage points over the year.
Jobcentre Vacancies
The seasonally adjusted level of vacancies notified to job centres in Scotland fell by 1,100 between November and December 2000 to 25,600 and was down by 1,600 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.