Labour Market Trends: March 2026
Trends in Labour Market indicators from HMRC PAYE RTI, Claimant count, and ONS Labour Force Survey data covering Scotland and the UK.
Part of
Employment estimates
The estimated employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 years in Scotland was 74.8% in November 2025 to January 2026. This is 0.1 percentage points down over the quarter but 0.7 percentage points up over the year.
The estimated UK employment rate was 75.1% in November 2025 to January 2026. This is 0.2 percentage points up on the quarter and 0.1 percentage points up over the year.
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 November 2025 to January 2026
Source: Labour Force Survey, seasonally adjusted, ONS
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, November 2025 to January 2026 compared to November 2024 to January 2025.
Source: Labour Force Survey, ONS
Note: Annual change shown in percentage points
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