Labour Market Trends: October 2025
Trends in Labour Market indicators from HMRC PAYE RTI, Claimant count, and ONS Labour Force Survey data covering Scotland and the UK.
Part of
Summary of labour market statistics
Employment, unemployment and economic inactivity estimates are presented for June to August 2025, compared with the quarter before (March to May 2025) and compared with the year before (June to August 2024).
Data is obtained from a sample survey and is therefore subject to some error. Changes over the quarter and year have been included within the commentary of this publication but caution in their use is advised by ONS due to the increased volatility in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates.
The latest LFS estimates show that there are no statistically significant changes over the quarter or year in the headline labour market rate estimates for Scotland.
Table 1A: Labour market rates, Scotland and UK, June to August 2025
| Statistic | Headline rate | Confidence interval of rate | Change on quarter | Confidence interval of change on quarter | Change on year | Confidence interval of change on year |
| Employment in Scotland [note 1] |
74.3% | ± 1.7 pp | -0.6 pp | ± 2.2 pp | 1.1 pp | ± 2.6 pp |
| Employment in the UK [note 1] | 75.1% | ± 0.5 pp | -0.2 pp | ± 0.4 pp | 0.1 pp | ± 0.7 pp |
| Unemployment in Scotland [note 2] | 3.9% | ± 0.8 pp | 0.2 pp | ± 1.0 pp | -0.2 pp | ± 1.2 pp |
| Unemployment in the UK [note 2] |
4.8% | ± 0.3 pp | 0.2 pp | ± 0.3 pp | 0.7 pp | ± 0.4 pp |
| Economic Inactivity in Scotland [note 1] |
22.7% | ± 1.6 pp | 0.4 pp | ± 2.1 pp | -1.0 pp | ± 2.4 pp |
| Economic Inactivity in the UK [note 1] | 21.0% | ± 0.4 pp | 0.0 pp | ± 0.4 pp | -0.7 pp | ± 0.6 pp |
Source: Labour Force Survey, seasonally adjusted, ONS
Note 1: All persons aged 16 to 64; denominator all persons aged 16 to 64.
Note 2: All persons aged 16 and over; denominator all economically active persons aged 16 and over.
Note 3: pp refers to percentage points
Table 1B: Labour market levels, Scotland and UK, June to August 2025
| Statistic | Headline level | Confidence interval of level | Change on quarter | Confidence interval of change on quarter | Change on year | Confidence interval of change on year |
| Employment in Scotland [note 1] |
2,657,000 | ± 60,000 | -18,000 | ± 77,000 | 38,000 | ± 87,000 |
| Employment in the UK [note 1] | 34,221,000 | ± 217,000 | 91,000 | ± 185,000 | 473,000 | ± 313,000 |
| Unemployment in Scotland [note 1] | 107,000 | ± 21,000 | 5,000 | ± 28,000 | -3,000 | ± 33,000 |
| Unemployment in the UK [note 1] |
1,737,000 | ± 98,000 | 64,000 | ± 106,000 | 297,000 | ± 142,000 |
| Economic Inactivity in Scotland [note 2] |
771,000 | ± 68,000 | 15,000 | ± 89,000 | -33,000 | ± 102,000 |
| Economic Inactivity in the UK [note 2] | 9,115,000 | ± 186,000 | 29,000 | ± 163,000 | -238,000 | ± 274,000 |
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.
Infographic summary of ONS Labour Force Survey Statistics
This infographic summary contains estimates from Table 1A above, chart 6 from Employment estimates, chart 8 from Unemployment estimates, and chart 10 from Economic Inactivity estimates.
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