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Publication - Statistics

Labour Market Trends: July 2026

Published
21 July 2026
Directorate
Chief Economist Directorate
Topic
Business, industry and innovation, Economy, Work and skills

Trends in Labour Market indicators from HMRC PAYE RTI, Claimant count, and ONS Labour Force Survey data covering Scotland and the UK.

Part of

Supporting documents

Economic Inactivity estimates

The economic inactivity rate for people aged 16 to 64 years in Scotland was estimated at 21.8% in March to May 2026. This is 0.6 percentage points down compared to a year ago and 0.8 percentage points down over the quarter.

The UK economic inactivity rate was estimated at 20.9% in March to May 2026. This is 0.1 percentage points down compared to a year ago and 0.1 percentage points down over the quarter.

Chart 10: The economic inactivity rate for Scotland was higher than the UK

Economic inactivity rate for persons aged 16 to 64, Scotland and the UK, January to March 2019 through to March to May 2026

Time series line chart showing estimated economic inactivity rates for Scotland and the United Kingdom as separate lines.

Source: Labour Force Survey, seasonally adjusted, ONS

Note: Due to an operational issue, the March to May 2026 estimates are subject to greater imputation. Please see ONS Labour Force Survey notes in the About this publication section for more information.

Chart 11: Scotland had the 2nd lowest economic inactivity rate across the countries of the UK

Economic Inactivity rate and annual change for persons aged 16 to 64, UK countries, March to May 2026 compared to March to May 2025.

Horizontal bar chart showing the economic inactivity rate of UK countries. The bars, in order of decreasing inactivity rates are Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England.

Source: Labour Force Survey, ONS
Notes:

  1. Annual change shown in percentage points
  2. Due to an operational issue, the March to May 2026 estimates are subject to greater imputation. Please see ONS Labour Force Survey notes in the About this publication section for more information.

Contact

For enquiries about this publication please contact:

Labour Market Statistics,
Office of the Chief Economic Adviser
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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