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| Scotland's unemployment rate highest in UK | Scotland's unemployment rate highest in UK |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Scotland's unemployment rate is now the highest among all the UK nations, according to official figures. | Scotland's unemployment rate is now the highest among all the UK nations, according to official figures. |
| The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said unemployment in Scotland for people over 16 was 4.6%, compared with a UK rate of 3.9%. | The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said unemployment in Scotland for people over 16 was 4.6%, compared with a UK rate of 3.9%. |
| Unemployment rose by rose by 30,000 to 127,000 between February and April as lockdown hit the labour market. | Unemployment rose by rose by 30,000 to 127,000 between February and April as lockdown hit the labour market. |
| Ministers said the figures were a clear indication of the challenge facing Scotland as a result of the pandemic. | Ministers said the figures were a clear indication of the challenge facing Scotland as a result of the pandemic. |
| Scotland's unemployment rate has gone up from 3.5% in the previous quarter. | Scotland's unemployment rate has gone up from 3.5% in the previous quarter. |
| The latest figures show England's rate now stands at 3.9%, Wales is at 3% and Northern Ireland is at 2.3%. | |
| The figures only capture the first five weeks of lockdown. | The figures only capture the first five weeks of lockdown. |
| Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the country's reliance on the tourism industry was the main reason behind the rise in the Scottish unemployment rate. | |
| "The scale of what's coming down the track will be far, far more than we've seen here and that is why the scale of the response has to equal that challenge," she told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme. | "The scale of what's coming down the track will be far, far more than we've seen here and that is why the scale of the response has to equal that challenge," she told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme. |
| Business, Fair Work and Skills Minister Jamie Hepburn said: "These are the first labour market statistics to include a full month of lockdown measures, and show clearly the scale of the challenge facing Scotland as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. | Business, Fair Work and Skills Minister Jamie Hepburn said: "These are the first labour market statistics to include a full month of lockdown measures, and show clearly the scale of the challenge facing Scotland as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. |
| "I know that many people will be feeling a deep sense of anxiety about their livelihoods. Keeping people in work while supporting those who have lost their jobs will continue to be at the heart of our thinking as we carefully reopen the economy." | "I know that many people will be feeling a deep sense of anxiety about their livelihoods. Keeping people in work while supporting those who have lost their jobs will continue to be at the heart of our thinking as we carefully reopen the economy." |
| Mr Hepburn also urged the UK government to ensure its support schemes reflected what was needed in Scotland. | |
| "Failure to do so will put the economy at a competitive disadvantage in recovering from this crisis, and could result in additional job losses. We must not allow that to happen," he added. | |
| There's no obvious reason why Scottish unemployment should have risen faster than other parts of the UK, the rate up by 1.1 percentage points to 4.6% of working age adults. | |
| It could have to do with exposure to the oil and gas downturn, or a bigger dependence on tourism jobs. | |
| That gap doesn't make it a trend. More notable is how closely Scottish employment and unemployment figures have tracked UK averages in recent months and years. | |
| As unemployment is expected to rise everywhere, to more than double that 4.6% rate, don't be surprised if the Scotland/UK difference is erased or reversed in the coming months. | |
| The one firm conclusion that can be drawn from today's figures is that the furlough scheme has worked well in avoiding a sharp surge in unemployment. | |
| That's at very high cost to the government, and it is probably postponing a reckoning with redundancies as it's withdrawn - under current plans - and ended by the start of November. | |
| Dr Stuart McIntyre, head of research at the Fraser of Allander Institute, said people should be "cautious" about drawing conclusions about the comparison between the Scottish and UK unemployment rates because the confidence intervals meant that the range of values for both figures overlapped. | |
| He said more than three quarters of a million people in Scotland were being supported by the various UK government furlough schemes. | |
| "We are already seeing an increase in the number of planned redundancies being announced across Scotland, an increase in those receiving support through Universal Credit, and across the UK we have seen a fall in job vacancies and hours worked," he added. | |
| "In the months to come, we expect to see much more substantial increases in unemployment. And those who become unemployed through this period will experience a very challenging economy in which to find new work. | |
| "Both the UK and Scottish governments will need to be prepared with support measures for those made unemployed as the furlough schemes unwind, both to support them financially and to help them to access skills and training support." |