UNEMPLOYMENT in Scotland is continuing to rise, according to official figures published today.
The number of people out of work in the three months to February, including those not eligible for benefit, rose by 5,000 to 143,000.
And the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance saw an even larger rise, jumping by 6,000 to 119,400 in t
he month of March. This level is up 50,600 on March last year.
Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy said the figures show the "real effect" of the current global economic conditions.
"We know the effect job losses have on families and that is why we are doing everything we can to get real help to people losing their jobs," he said.
"The Government has set out and established a wide range of initiatives to deliver real help to families and businesses.
"By supporting individuals and stimulating the economy, we are working hard to counteract today's difficult conditions."
Today's Budget will also set out further steps that the UK Government is taking to steer the country out of recession, he added.
The number of people in work also fell by 5,000 in the three months to February and now stands at 2,529,000. This is down 14,000 over the year.
The Scottish employment rate stands at 75.4 per cent and continues to be above that of the UK and almost all countries within the EU.
The latest rise comes on top of increases in the previous set of monthly figures in March.
Enterprise Minister Jim Mather today said unemployment, which rose by 15,000 over the last year, stands at 5.4 per cent in Scotland compared with 6.7 per cent across the UK as a whole.
"During the global recession, Scotland is maintaining a higher employment rate, a lower unemployment rate and higher economic activity levels than the UK average," Mr Mather said.
