14 Nov 2007
Labour market data released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows a fall in the claimant count for Scotland.
Commenting on the ONS figures, the Minister of State for Scotland David Cairns said:
"These latest figures show that despite the recent turbulence in the financial markets the Scottish labour market continues to be in a healthy position. Thanks to the economic stability delivered by this Government, Scottish employment is up over the year and unemployment is down over the year.
"The challenge for us today is to continue to support and encourage those people who are out of work to get into work. There is no doubt that employment is the best route out of poverty, and so we are committed to helping the unemployed. With schemes such as the Local Employment Partnership, family tax credits, New Deal, and Welfare to Work, individuals have access to more opportunities than ever to develop their skills and confidence, setting them on the road to employment."
The claimant count measure (those people out of work and claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)) fell by 1,200 over the month, and 14,900 over the year to 72,300 for October 2007. The last time the claimant count was lower was in January 1975. The claimant count rate fell to stand close to the historical low at 2.6 per cent.
ILO Unemployment increased by 9,000 over the quarter, but fell by 2,000 over the year to stand at 130,000. The Scottish unemployment rate stands at 4.9 per cent, well below the UK average unemployment rate of 5.4 per cent.
Scottish employment fell by 20,000 over the quarter to September, but is an increase of 59,000 over the year with total employment standing at 2,540,000. The Scottish employment rate is 76.5 per cent, which continues to be above that of the UK and almost all countries within the EU.
Economic activity fell by 11,000 over the quarter, but was up by 57,000 over the year to a record 2,670,000. The economic activity rate fell by 0.4 percentage points on the quarter to 80.5%.
Latest Data for Scotland
Employment
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) indicates that the number of people in employment in Scotland in July - September 2007 was 2,540,000. Employment was 20,000 lower compared with the previous three months and 59,000 higher compared to the same period last year. The employment rate amongst those of working age was down 0.7 percentage points over the quarter and up 1.4 percentage points over the year, to 76.5 per cent. In international terms, the Scottish employment rate remains above the UK average and the corresponding rate for the majority of other EU countries.
Unemployment
ILO unemployment in Scotland was up by 9,000 over the quarter July - September 2007 to 130,000. The level was 2,000 lower compared to the same quarter last year. The unemployment rate rose by 0.4 percentage points from the previous quarter to 4.9% per cent, and is down 0.2 percentage points over the year.
Claimant Count Unemployment
The claimant count in Scotland, based on the seasonally adjusted number of people claiming Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA), fell by 1,200 in the month of October to 72,300. The level is down by 14,900 on October 2006. The claimant count rate fell by 0.1 p.p. over the month and fell 0.5 percentage points over the year to 2.6%.
Economic Activity
The number of economically active (defined as those in employment or ILO unemployed, seasonally adjusted) in Scotland in the July - September 2007 quarter was 2,670,000. This is 11,000 lower than the previous quarter, and 57,000 higher than at the same time in 2006. Among those aged 16-59/64, the economic activity rate was 80.5 per cent - down by 0.4 percentage points on the previous quarter, and up 1.3 percentage points over the year.
NOTES FOR NEWS EDITORS
1. 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.
2. 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. July - September data should be compared with April - June data. Quarter to quarter changes at country/regional level are especially subject to sampling variability and should be interpreted in the context of changes over several quarters.
3. 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, Travel to Work Areas (TTWAs) and parliamentary constituencies. The claimant count is also the main source of information on unemployment by age and duration. Data on the claimant count in the New Deal age and duration groups is available from 1985.
4. The ILO measure of unemployment defines unemployed people as those who are; without a job, want a job, have actively sought work in the last four weeks and are available to start work in the next two weeks or; out of work, have a found a job and are waiting to start in the next two months. The claimant count measures the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance benefits. The claimant count measure is always the lower measure because some unemployed people are not entitled to claim benefits, or choose not to do so.
5. Economic activity is a measure of those who are in employment plus those who are unemployed but are available to enter the labour market (ILO unemployed). Conversely, the economically inactive are those people who are not in employment, but do not fulfil all the ILO criteria to be classified as unemployed. The most common reasons given for inactivity are being a student, being retired, looking after a family or home and being long-term sick or disabled.
We have included a link to a PDF file which can be downloaded from the Office of National Statistics website at:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/lmsscot1107.pdf