Scottish Secretary responds to January Labour Market Statistics

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said:

These figures show the UK Government’s Plan for Jobs is working for Scotland, with payrolled employees increasing at a greater monthly percentage than anywhere else in the UK, and remaining above pre-pandemic levels.

Continuing to tackle the pandemic, driving our recovery and getting even more people back into work continue to be our top priorities. Our job support schemes – including Kickstart and targeted support through our jobcentre network – are helping people up and down the country find jobs and progress in work.

Our record £41 billion a year funding for the Scottish Government will also support business growth and job creation as we level up across the whole UK.

Background

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the rate of employment in Scotland is up by 0.7 percentage points compared with the same time last year, which is higher than the UK average. Scotland’s unemployment rate is at 3.6%, the lowest since February 2020.