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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

Unemployment estimates

The unemployment rate for people aged 16 years and over in Scotland was estimated at 4.7% in March to May 2026. This is 1.3 percentage points up compared to a year ago and 0.5 percentage points up over the quarter.

The UK unemployment rate was estimated at 4.9% in March to May 2026. This is 0.2 percentage points up compared to a year ago but 0.1 percentage points down over the quarter.

Chart 8: The unemployment rate for Scotland was lower than the UK

Unemployment rates for persons aged 16 and over, Scotland and the UK, January to March 2019 to March to May 2026

Time series line chart showing estimated unemployment 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 9: Scotland had the 2nd highest unemployment rate across the countries of the UK

Unemployment Rate and annual change for persons aged 16 and over, UK countries, March to May 2026 compared to March to May 2025.

Horizontal bar chart showing the unemployment rate of UK countries. The bars, in order of decreasing unemployment 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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