Scotland tops UK as employment at record high

MORE people are at work in Scotland than at any time since the early 1970s, new figures showed today.

Unemployment has also fallen to a record low, down 11,000 over the quarter to 127,000 people, or 4.8 per cent which is well below the UK average.

On another measure, the number of people claiming the jobseekers’ allowance in Scotland last month fell to 76,200.

There are now 2.54 million at work in Scotland, an increase of 25,000 over the quarter.

At 76.7 per cent, it is the highest employment rate since records began in 1971, and exceeds the rate for the UK and almost all EU countries.

The UK employment rate is also at record levels, up 180,000 over the past year to 29.08m. Unemployment fell by 35,000 over the quarter to 1.66m, giving a jobless rate of 5.4 per cent.

Scottish Secretary Des Browne said: "This is an exceptional set of results reflecting the strong performance of the Scottish labour market.

"With record numbers of people in Scotland in work, and with the unemployment rate never having been lower, these figures are a ringing endorsement of the social welfare policies delivered by this Government."

Ron Hewitt, chief executive of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, said the national jobs picture was reflected in the Capital.

He said: "This is great news and is a situation that is mirrored in Edinburgh.

"We have the financial stability at the moment that attracts investment.

"Everything I see and hear in the city is there is still a lot of determination to expand and grow business and this has obvious positive consequences for employment.

"However there are still people who are missing out on this boom and we need to do more to attract greater investment."

The Office for National Statistics also reported that average UK earnings increased by 3.5 per cent in the year to May.

However, the number of manufacturing jobs continued to fall, down to a record low of 2.96m.

South West England had the lowest unemployment, at 3.9 per cent, followed by Northern Ireland and South East England at 4.2 per cent.

The highest rate was in the West Midlands, where 6.8 per cent of the workforce is unemployed.

The number of people classed as economically inactive, including students, those looking after a sick relative or people who have given up trying to get a job, fell by 1000 in the latest quarter to 7.93m.

Work and Pensions Secretary Peter Hain said: "The Government’s policies, including the creation of the New Deal, mean we have one of the most proactive approaches in the world to getting people off benefits and back into work. These figures show that we are getting results."
Jobless parents to find work

SINGLE mums and dads will be forced to find at least parttime work after their child’s 11th birthday or risk having their welfare benefit slashed, the Government said today.

The change is aimed at tackling a "stubborn group" of 4.5 million people who would rather stay on benefits than find a job. They were unveiled to the Commons by new Work and Pensions Secretary Peter Hain today following a breakfast meeting with Gordon Brown and business chiefs.

They agreed to sign up to local partnerships aimed at providing the sort of flexible employment needed to help the jobless into work.