16 Jan 2008
Office for National Statistics (ONS) data released today shows a quarterly increase in employment and a monthly fall in the claimant count in Scotland.
Commenting on the ONS figures, Minister of State at the Scotland Office David Cairns said:
""These latest ONS figures should offer reassurance that the Scottish labour market is entering a challenging period in good health. Compared to a year ago employment is up; unemployment is down, with the claimant count at a 33-year low; and the number of Scots in work or looking for work is also up.
"This is likely to be a difficult year for economies across the world, but we are well placed to ride out any troubles. This Government has consistently delivered a stable environment for businesses in Scotland through robust macroeconomic polices, and I am convinced that these policies will serve us well in this coming period."
"Now, more than ever, we are reaping the benefits of the Government's commitment to the social welfare and active labour market policies that have proved so successful over the last decade. Our goal remains not only to support people who may find themselves out of work, but to enable those people to get back into work through programmes such as the Local Employment Partnerships, New Deal, and Welfare to Work."
Total employment in Scotland stands at 2,541,000, with an increase of 3,000 over the quarter to November, and an increase of 54,000 over the year. The Scottish employment rate is 76.4 per cent, which continues to be above that of the UK and almost all countries within the EU.
ILO unemployment rose by 7,000 over the quarter, but has fallen by 6,000 over the year to stand at 131,000. The Scottish unemployment rate stands at 4.9 per cent, well below the UK average unemployment rate of 5.3 per cent.
The claimant count measure (those people out of work and claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)) fell by 400 over the month, and 13,200 over the year to stand at 71,600 for December 2007, the lowest level in over 33 years. The claimant count rate stands close to the historical low at 2.6 per cent.
Economic activity increased by 10,000 over the quarter, and by 47,000 over the year at 2,672,000. The economic activity rate remains close to the historic high at 80.5%.
Latest Data for Scotland
Employment
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) indicates that the number of people in employment in Scotland in September - November 2007 was 2,541,000. Employment was 3,000 higher compared with the previous three months and 54,000 higher compared to the same period last year. The employment rate amongst those of working age was down 0.2 percentage points over the quarter and up 1.1 percentage points over the year, to 76.4 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 7,000 over the quarter September - November 2007 to 131,000. The level was 6,000 lower compared to the same quarter last year. The unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage points from the previous quarter to 4.9% per cent, and is down 0.3 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 400 in the month of December to 71,600. The level is down by 13,200 on December 2006. The claimant count rate was unchanged 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 September - November 2007 quarter was 2,672,000. This is 10,000 higher than the previous quarter, and 47,000 higher than at the same time in 2006. Among those aged 16-59/64, the economic activity rate was 80.5 per cent - no change on the previous quarter, and up 0.9 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. September - November data should be compared with June - August 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/lmsscot0108.pdf
Media unable to access the data in this way can phone the number at the end of the news release and have the pages faxed.
Contact: Nathaniel Mumford, 020 7 2706875