UNEMPLOYMENT in Scotland has increased to 114,000 at the same time as the number of people in work across the country has fallen.
The number of Scots who were in work dropped by 21,000 over the period August to October, accounting for almost two fifths of the 56,000 decrease in employment experienced across the UK, official figures showed.
And while the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed a fall in the jobless total across the UK, this rose by 8,000 north of the border over the three-month period.
There were 2,653,000 people in work across Scotland, giving the country an employment rate of 74.9% amongst the working age population.
The unemployment rate in Scotland rose to 4.1% - slightly lower than the UK rate of 4.3% While the number of people in work is down on the previous quarter, the employment total is 59,000 higher than 12 months ago, and unemployment has fallen by 32,000 over the year.
Female unemployment fell from 47,000 to 39,000 over August to September, according to the data, but in contrast the number of men without a job went from 59,000 to 74,000.
The figures were released just over 24 hours before the Scottish Government publishes it Budget plans for 2018-19.
Stuart McIntyre, of the Fraser of Allander Institute economic think tank, said rising unemployment and a falling number of people in work would be "an unwelcome economic backdrop" to that.
But the expert said: "Today's rise needs to be put in the wider context of near-record levels of employment. And an unemployment rate of just 4.1% - even after today's rise - is remarkably low by historical standards."
With small and medium sized enterprises key to Scotland's economy, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said the "headline jobs indicators are now moving in the wrong direction".
Andy Wilcox, policy convener for the FSB in Scotland, added: "That's unsettling for policymakers and devastating for those without work.
"Tomorrow's Scottish Government budget is a key opportunity for ministers to set out their ambitions for the country.
"A majority of Scottish firms are against changes to income tax, but that doesn't mean there isn't action which Ministers could take to kick-start growth and help firms create jobs."
Jamie Hepburn, the Scottish Government's Minster for Employability and Training, said: "While these latest figures show that employment is up by 1.7 percentage points over the year, it is disappointing to see a slight fall in employment and a slight rise in unemployment over the last quarter."
He stressed Scotland's unemployment rate was lower than that for the UK, with 89,000 more people in work than there were at the pre-recession peak.
Mr Hepburn added: "The real risk to Scotland's economy comes from a hard Brexit. We are continuing to press for a less damaging approach to Brexit, which keeps the UK in the single market and customs union."
But Scottish Secretary David Mundell said the increase in unemployment was "disappointing", adding it served as a "reminder of how important it is that the Scottish Government uses its extensive new powers to tackle Scotland's economic challenges".
The UK Government minister said: "We have delivered on our commitment to make the Scottish Parliament more powerful and more accountable to people in Scotland.
"The Budget on Thursday is an opportunity for the Scottish Government to set out how it will use its new powers to drive economic growth.
"It is for Holyrood to decide how to use its new income tax powers, but I have been clear that making Scotland the highest taxed part of the UK would harm our economy, be bad for business and put jobs at risk."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel