EMPLOYMENT in Scotland reached a record level between September and November, with 21,000 more people in work, according to official figures.
The Office for National Statistics said the total of 2,631,000 people working gave Scotland the highest employment rate out of the four UK nations. For the first time, employment in Scotland was higher than it was before the recession at 74.9 per cent over the quarter – it was 74.6 per cent before the economic crisis.
The same figures showed unemployment in Scotland fell by 11,000, to stand at 152,000 – a rate of 5.4 per cent which was down by 0.7 per cent, the largest quarterly fall since summer 2014.
Fair Work Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “Employment has continued to rise and unemployment to fall – with more Scots in work than ever before.
"Youth employment figures continue to be strong, outperforming the UK statistics. However, we are not complacent and we recognise that a number of significant challenges remain beneath these encouraging headline figures.”
The Resolution Foundation think tank said the figures showed Scotland had closed its “jobs gap”. While welcome, it said the milestone came 15 months after England returned to its pre-crisis employment rate.
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