Employment in Scotland at record high of 2.6 million
Employment in Scotland has reached a record high, with official figures showing 22,000 more people found work in the last three months of last year.
Employment in Scotland has reached a record high, with official figures showing 22,000 more people found work in the last three months of last year.
There were 2,636,000 Scots recorded as being in work in that period, making it the second consecutive month that official figures have put employment at its best ever levels.
The jobless total fell by 5,000 over the quarter to 162,000, but the Scottish unemployment rate continues to be above UK levels, with 5.8% out of work, compared with 5.1%.
Scotland's employment rate is above that for the UK - where the number in work also reached a record high of more than 31.4 million people.
Almost three-quarters (74.8%) of Scots classed as being economically active are in work, compared to the rate of 74.1% across the UK as a whole.
The latest figures, from the Office for National Statistics, also showed a drop in the number out of work and claiming jobseeker's allowance.
This fell by 3,200 from December to stand at 60,700 in January - a drop of 21,100 on the same month in 2015.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell welcomed the figures but stressed there is no room for complacency''.
The UK Government minister said: It is welcome news that there are more people in work in Scotland than ever before and that economic inactivity has fallen to a new record low.
That means more families than ever benefiting from the security of a regular wage while the national living wage, payable from April this year, will mean a pay rise for hundreds of thousands of people in Scotland.
Despite these positive figures, there is no room for complacency. The UK and Scottish governments both have a responsibility to work hard and support the Scottish economy in difficult global conditions, and that is exactly what we must continue to do.''
Roseanna Cunningham, the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training, described the figures as very positive''.
She said: While some volatility remains, the highest level of people in employment since records began demonstrates that we are on the right track with continued improvement in the latest quarter.
A number of significant challenges remain beneath these encouraging figures, such as the continuing low price of oil and the effect this is having on the industry and its supply chain.
We will continue to work hard to help even more people towards jobs. We want everyone to be able to maximise their potential and that means supporting them into sustainable careers through a variety of paths.
While the Scottish economy is feeling the effects of global economic conditions, we remain resilient and will continue to use every power at our disposal, including improved employability services from 2017, to ensure unnecessary barriers to the jobs market become a thing of the past.''