Scottish jobless total up by 19,000

The number of people out of work in Scotland has increased by 19,000, according to new figures published today.

The figure for the most recent quarter was 124,000 on the Government's preferred measure – up 19,000 up on the previous quarter and 2,000 more than the total for the same quarter last year.

Unemployment as measured by the number of people claiming the jobseeker's allowance also went up in September to 81,800, a rise of 3,100 on the previous month.

The jobseekers' total is 8,100 up on September last year.
Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy said: "Every country in the world is facing real economic challenges.

"The UK has one of the most robust labour markets in the world and the support network of Jobcentre Plus is there to provide assistance to those who may fall out of work.

"Our priority must be to help people back into sustainable employment quickly and we will use every method at our disposal to make that happen."

On today's figures, the number of people in work in Scotland in the most recent quarter was said to be 2.538 million, a fall of 19,000 on the previous quarter and 10,000 down on the same period last year.
The Scottish employment rate of 76% is said to be above that of the UK and "almost all" countries in the EU.

As measured by the claimant count, the unemployment rate 3%.
Calculated on the Government's preferred method, using the International Labour Organisation measure, it saw a quarterly rise of 0.7% to 4.7%, compared to a UK average of 5.7%.

Finance secretary John Swinney said: "These figures are obviously disappointing, but they confirm everything that the Scottish Government has been saying about how the financial crisis is impacting on the real economy.

"There must now be measures to reflate the wider economy."

The Scottish Government had already announced action, including faster investment in affordable housing, but a programme of reflation was also needed from Westminster to boost the wider economy.

That should include relaxing Treasury rules to give the Scottish Government greater access to cash intended for Scotland, he said.
"The labour market in Scotland is still relatively strong, with the ILO unemployment rate significantly below that of the UK and many other advanced economies, and our employment and economic activity rates both stronger than the UK as a whole," said Mr Swinney.

"However, we cannot wait for things to get better – we are redoubling our efforts to accelerate investment and support business and families in Scotland, and the UK Government must now come forward with a reflationary package for the real economy as a matter of urgency."

Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael said: "These figures demonstrate that, while Scotland's unemployment rate is better than that of the UK as a whole, it is a deteriorating situation which leaves no room for complacency.

"This demonstrates the importance of government in Edinburgh and London working together to retain HBOS as an independent bank.

"Failure to do so will almost certainly lead to further job losses, at a time when Scotland can least afford them."