THE SNP have criticised the Department for Work and Pensions's "blatant snub" to Scotland by not committing to more temporary job centres.
SNP MP David Linden has criticised the "shocking" way the UK Government has handled job centres in Scotland after they closed several in 2018 – including nearly half of Glasgow’s sites.
Boris Johnson's Government is to open 80 sites across the UK in response to unemployment due to the pandemic – but only two of these will be in Scotland. The sites will be located in Falkirk and Ayr.
Linden, who represents Glasgow East, said: “The UK Government’s decision to only commit to two temporary jobcentres in Scotland is shocking.
“Boris Johnson has previously expressed his lack of interest in financially supporting the people of Scotland. Whilst being Mayor of London, he proudly declared that ‘a pound spent in Croydon is far more of value to the country than a pound spent in Strathclyde’. This attitude has, quite clearly, not changed.
“The SNP have time and again expressed their concern to the DWP about their approach to jobcentres in Scotland – none more so than when they removed three quarters of Glasgow’s east end sites. These calls were ignored then, and continue to be ignored now.
“Scotland can do so much better than this. Thankfully, we face a choice of two futures: the long-term damage of Tory austerity cuts at Westminster, or the opportunity to protect our place in Europe and build a strong and fair recovery as an independent country.
"The issue at the election in May will be this: who has the right to decide what sort of country Scotland should be after the pandemic - people in Scotland or Boris Johnson?
“With both votes SNP on 6 May, we can put Scotland's future in Scotland's hands - not Boris Johnson's."
READ MORE: Tories unveil 1000 civil service jobs in Scotland as PM 'love bombs' voters to stop independence
The new job centres, some of which are already up and running, will be in addition to the 639 Jobcentres that are currently open to the public.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said the temporary centres will help those who have lost work or may need to retrain as a result of Covid, with the aim to get people "back on track" with work coaches.
It comes as figures on Tuesday revealed the number of Brits without a job hit 1.7million in January, with 11,000 more people losing work as the UK endured its third national lockdown.
Overall, the UK unemployment rate is currently at at 5%, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) - the highest level in five years.
READ MORE: Scotland's employment rate falls slightly over the winter period
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that from November last year to January this year, employment rates dropped to 74.3% – down 0.6% compared with the previous quarter (August to October).
This has brought Scotland’s employment below the UK rate of 75%.
The latest Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimated that from November last year to January this year, Scotland’s unemployment rate decreased slightly over the quarter by 0.1%,
to 4.1%.
Business Minister Jamie Hepburn said: “For November to January 2021, Scotland’s employment rate estimate fell over the quarter to 74.3% and the unemployment rate estimate fell slightly over the quarter to 4.1%.
“Separate HMRC early estimates for February 2021, also published this morning, show there were 2,331,000 pay-rolled employees in Scotland, 65,000 lower than a year ago.
“These figures reflect some of the challenges faced in Scotland’s labour market to date, but they do not reflect the full impact of coronavirus or the outlook for employment as the Job Retention Scheme continues to help support jobs.
“It is crucial the UK Government keep this scheme in place for as long as it is needed.”
Dr Stuart McIntyre, head of research at the Fraser of Allander Institute, said: “The Scottish labour market remains in a state of suspended animation – certainly in comparison to the scale of the economic shock represented by the pandemic – with little change in the headline measures of employment and unemployment over the year to the end of February.
“A key reason for this is the furlough support scheme remaining in place; at the end of January over 360,000 jobs remained on furlough in Scotland.
“Rapid progress in the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine may mean that we are nearing the final phase of the public health campaign, but be in no doubt that we are only approaching the opening phase of the economic recovery.”
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