Information

John Swinney has been selected by the Scottish Parliament as their nominee for First Minister. He will be appointed by His Majesty the King and sworn in at the Court of Session.

Labour Market Trends: August 2024

Employment, unemployment and economic inactivity trends, sourced from the Labour Force Survey for Scotland and the UK.


Labour market estimates for women and men

Table 2A: Labour market rates for women, Scotland and UK, April to June 2024

Statistic Headline rate Change on quarter Change on year
Employment in
Scotland [note 1]
71.6% 0.8 pp 0.2 pp
Employment in
the UK [note 1]
71.9% 0.3 pp 0.1 pp
Unemployment in
Scotland [note 2]
3.3% 0.3 pp [note 3] -0.5 pp
Unemployment in
the UK [note 2]
3.9% -0.2 pp 0.0 pp
Economic Inactivity in Scotland [note 1] 25.9% -1.1 pp 0.1 pp
Economic Inactivity in
the UK [note 1]
25.1% -0.2 pp -0.1 pp

Source: Labour Force Survey, seasonally adjusted, ONS
Note 1: Rates all women aged 16 to 64; denominator all women aged 16 to 64.

Note 2: Rates all women aged 16 and over; denominator all economically active women aged 16 and over.
Note 3: The unemployment rate estimate for women in Scotland in January to March 2024 are based on a small sample size and should be used with caution.
Note 4: 
pp refers to percentage point

Table 2B: Labour market levels for women, Scotland and UK, April to June 2024

Statistic Headline level Change on quarter Change on year
Employment in
Scotland [note 1]
1,300,000 31,000 16,000
Employment in
the UK [note 1]
16,109,000 120,000 122,000
Unemployment
in Scotland [note 1]
45,000 6,000 [note 3] -6,000
Unemployment
in the UK [note 1]
656,000 -31,000 1,000
Economic Inactivity in Scotland [note 2] 453,000 -20,000 1,000
Economic Inactivity in
the UK [note 2]
5,421,000 -35,000 0

Source: Labour Force Survey, seasonally adjusted, ONS
Note 1:
All persons aged 16 and over.
Note 2: All persons aged 16 to 64.
Note 3: The unemployment level estimate for women in Scotland in January to March 2024 are based on a small sample size and should be used with caution.
Note 4: Level estimates are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Table 3A: Labour market rates for men, Scotland and UK, April to June 2024

Statistic Headline rate Change on quarter Change on year
Employment in
Scotland [note 1]
75.3% -0.3 pp -0.8 pp
Employment in
the UK [note 1]
77.3% -0.2 pp -1.4 pp
Unemployment in
Scotland [note 2]
5.4% -0.3 pp 1.2 pp
Unemployment in
the UK [note 2]
4.4% -0.1 pp -0.1 pp
Economic Inactivity in Scotland [note 1] 20.2% 0.5 pp -0.2 pp
Economic Inactivity in
the UK [note 1]
19.1% 0.3 pp 1.6 pp

Source: Labour Force Survey, seasonally adjusted, ONS
Note 1: Rates all men aged 16 to 64; denominator all women aged 16 to 64.
Note 2: Rates all men aged 16 and over; denominator all economically active women aged 16 and over.
Note 3: pp refers to percentage point

Table 3B: Labour market levels for men, Scotland and UK, April to June 2024

Statistic Headline level Change on quarter Change on year
Employment in
Scotland [note 1]
1,339,000 -5,000 -4,000
Employment in
the UK [note 1]
16,984,000 -23,000 -192,000
Unemployment
in Scotland [note 1]
77,000 -5,000 17,000
Unemployment
in the UK [note 1]
779,000 -20,000 -26,000
Economic Inactivity in Scotland [note 2] 341,000 9,000 -4,000
Economic Inactivity in
the UK [note 2]
3,989,000 62,000 350,000

Source: Labour Force Survey, seasonally adjusted, ONS
Note 1: All persons aged 16 and over.
Note 2: All persons aged 16 to 64.
Note 3: Level estimates are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Contact

For enquiries about this publication please contact:

Labour Market Statistics,
Office of the Chief Economic Adviser
Telephone: 0131 244 6773,
E-mail: LMStats@gov.scot

For general enquiries about Scottish Government statistics please contact:

Office of the Chief Statistician
E-mail: statistics.enquiries@gov.scot

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