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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

Employment estimates

The employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 years in Scotland was estimated at 74.3% in March to May 2026. This is 0.6 percentage points down compared to a year ago but 0.3 percentage points up over the quarter.

The UK employment rate was estimated at 75.1% in March to May 2026. This is 0.1 percentage points down compared to a year ago but 0.1 percentage points up over the quarter.

Chart 6: The employment rate for Scotland was lower than the UK

Employment rates 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 employment 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 7: Scotland had the 2nd highest employment rate across the countries of the UK

Employment 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 employment rate of UK countries. The bars, in order of decreasing employment rate, are England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

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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