Scottish labour market [November 2014]

This section provides an overview of key labour market data in Scotland and contrasts these with both UK performance and changes over time. These data are from a range of the latest labour market data for Scotland and the UK, to August 2014. The Scottish unemployment rate stands at 5.5%, below the UK rate of 6.0%. The employment rate in Scotland is 73.9%, with the UK figure 73%. In 2014 the number of people in employment in Scotland has reached the highest on record. Growth in employment, however, is still sustained by part-time workers and self-employment. Wages have failed to show sustained growth suggesting that traditional wage setting mechanisms remain impaired. Thus, despite the positive signs of recovery in the Scottish labour market, there is still remaining slack and possibly even wider structural issues