Unemployment rises in Scotland as UK figure falls

Unemployment in Scotland has increased by more than 7%, with new figures showing 114,000 people on the dole queue.

Published 13th Dec 2017

While the jobless total across the UK fell over the period August to October, official figures showed a rise of 8,000 north of the border.

At the same time the number of Scots who were in work dropped by 21,000, accounting for almost two fifths of the 56,000 decrease in employment experienced across the UK.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed 2,653,000 people in work across Scotland in the period August to October.

While that is down on the previous quarter, the employment total is 59,000 higher than 12 months ago, and unemployment has fallen by 32,000 over the year.

While the number of people without a job in Scotland increased, the figures showed more women are now working.

Female unemployment fell from 47,000 to 39,000 over the period August to September - a drop of 15.8%.

In contrast the number of men without a job went from 59,000 to 74,000 - a rise of 25.5% - according to the data.

The figures were released just over 24 hours before the Scottish Government publishes it Budget plans for 2018-19