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Scotland's employment rate hits record high | |
(32 minutes later) | |
Scotland's employment rate reached a record high in the three months to April, according to official figures. | |
Employment among Scots of working age rose by 22,000 to just over 2.61 million over the quarter - an employment rate of 75.9%. | |
Meanwhile, unemployment north of the border fell by 3,000 to 91,000. | |
The jobless rate now stands at 3.3%, compared with the UK figure of 3.8%, according to the Office for National Statistics. | |
The figures also showed UK wage growth beating market and economist expectations over the three-month period. | The figures also showed UK wage growth beating market and economist expectations over the three-month period. |
Pay rose by 3.4% compared with a year ago. After taking inflation into account, wage growth was 1.4%. | Pay rose by 3.4% compared with a year ago. After taking inflation into account, wage growth was 1.4%. |
Scottish Employment Minister Jamie Hepburn said labour market figures for women and young people in Scotland continued to outperform the UK. | |
He added: "Despite the UK government's EU exit plans, Scotland's economy and jobs market continues to perform consistently well. | |
"And the Scottish government's commitment to fair work for all is again reflected in these results. | |
"The Scottish government has consistently been clear that the best option for the future wellbeing and prosperity of Scotland is to stay in the European Union." | |
'Encouraging' | |
The UK government's Scottish Secretary David Mundell described the latest figures as "encouraging". | |
He said: "The UK government is investing in Scotland's economy including more than £1.35bn in city and growth deals, creating opportunities, jobs and long-term growth. | |
"Our investment is having a real impact and I urge the Scottish government to work with us to ensure this continues." |