Press & Policy

Labour market figures for the three months ending November 2018 have been released today by the ONS with the employment rate at its highest level since comparable records began in 1971 at 75.8%. This puts the estimated number of people in the UK working, aged 16 years and older, at 32.53 million which is a 328,000 increase for the same period in 2017.

Scotland saw an increase of 0.3% in the employment rate, rising to 75.3% with unemployment falling to 3.6% which is the lowest rate on record for Scotland. There was also a 0.1% decrease in the number of economically inactive people.

Liz Cameron OBE, Director and Chief Executive, Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said:

“The record level employment rate is a strong indicator of the resilience of the UK and Scottish labour market. With the unemployment rate at its lowest rate on record, these are positive statistics for Scotland.

“Against this backdrop, we are mindful that job vacancies are also rising, with many businesses reporting difficulties in finding and hiring the skills and talent they need. Yesterday’s announcement by the Prime Minister to scrap the proposed fee for EU nationals to register on the Settled Status Scheme will be welcomed by businesses across Scotland who are worried about the prospect of losing valuable workers from the European Union in a post-Brexit environment. This will provide some certainty to businesses and to individuals who are contributing to our economy and local communities.

“The UK Government must deliver a future immigration system that helps, rather than hinders the ability for businesses to invest, grow and support the economy.