Jobless total falls by 26,000 to hit seven-year low
Unemployment in Scotland fell by 26,000 between April and June, with the number of people out of work now at its lowest since 2009.
Unemployment in Scotland fell by 26,000 between April and June, with the number of people out of work now at its lowest since 2009.
The jobless total north of the border now stands at 143,000, fresh data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows.
The Scottish unemployment rate is now 5.2%, slightly above the rate of 4.9% for the UK as a whole.
The statistics also show employment in Scotland increased by 51,000 over the quarter, with the number of people in work now standing at 2,629,000.
The Scottish employment rate increased to 74.1%, slightly below the UK average of 74.5%.
The figures were welcomed by the UK and Scottish governments.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell, said: “I welcome today's positive figures showing a record increase in the number of people in Scotland in work, and the number of people out of work at its lowest since 2009.
“While we cannot be complacent as we enter a period of adjustment, today's figures show that we enter the EU negotiations from a position of strength. Our continued priority must still be to work closely with the Scottish Government as 'team UK' to promote economic growth and prosperity.”
Scotland's Employability Minister Jamie Hepburn said: “There is much to be welcomed from these figures, including 65,000 more people being employed now than at the pre-recession high. However, we know that there is more that we can and must do.
“The Scottish economy has strong fundamentals, but as businesses face uncertainty during negotiations over our future relationship with the EU, we will ensure we work hard to protect Scotland's relationship with the EU and strive to make the most of current and future opportunities in our economy.
He added: “The figures we see published today once again demonstrate Scotland is outperforming the rest of the UK in terms of youth employment. We are determined to do even more and our ambition is to reduce youth unemployment by 40% between 2014 and 2021 through the implementation of Scotland's Youth Employment Strategy - Developing the Young Workforce.
“I am also very pleased that the female employment rate has risen over the quarter. This is a testament to the work we have been doing to ensure women have the same equality of opportunities in the labour market as their male counterparts.”
Liz Cameron, chief executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: "This latest fall in unemployment and rise in employment spell good news for the Scottish economy. Our research amongst businesses suggests that they are continuing to invest in their staff even at a time when their overall levels of investment have slowed down.
"Clearly, these unemployment figures relate to a period prior to the EU referendum vote and the outlook and pressures on businesses have changed since then.
"If businesses are to maintain the confidence to invest and recruit, then it is vital that the Scottish and UK governments continue to use every power at their disposal to support businesses at this crucial time.''
STUC general secretary Grahame Smith described the latest figures as the "strongest for some time".
He added: "It will be a huge challenge to sustain these gains in the wake of the EU referendum result.
"The UK Government must bring forward the Autumn Statement in order to introduce a fiscal stimulus to complement the welcome action already undertaken by the Bank of England.
"The Scottish Government has already shown the correct approach by bringing forward some capital investment and should now consider additional measures as part of this year's Budget process."