This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-26254572
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Scottish jobless numbers fall by 3,000 | Scottish jobless numbers fall by 3,000 |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Unemployment in Scotland has fallen again, according to official figures. | Unemployment in Scotland has fallen again, according to official figures. |
| The number of people out of work fell by 3,000 to 195,000 in the period between October and December. | The number of people out of work fell by 3,000 to 195,000 in the period between October and December. |
| The labour market statistics said employment in Scotland had increased by 9,000 over the quarter to stand at more than 2.5 million. | |
| The latest figures also showed that in the UK as a whole, unemployment fell by 125,000 over the same period to 2.34 million. | |
| The UK jobless rate of 7.2% continues to be higher than the Scottish rate of 7.1%. | |
| The Scottish government said a 92,000 increase in employment in Scotland over the last 12 months was the largest annual increase in nearly seven years. | |
| First Minister Alex Salmond said this increase was "a demonstration of this government's commitment to creating jobs and boosting the economy". | |
| "Today that commitment is underlined by our further £4m investment in Community Jobs Scotland's work across the third sector." | |
| However, he said Scotland could go much further. | |
| He added: "Only with the full fiscal and economic powers of independence can we can take a different approach." | |
| Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael insisted Scotland was benefitting from being part of the UK. | |
| He said: "With business confidence continuing to grow, more jobs are being created, and inflation is now below the 2% government target. | |
| "Together with the Bank of England is revising up its forecast for GDP growth in 2014 it is clear that being part of a large UK single market and an influential EU member benefits Scotland. Our economy is growing because we are part of the UK." |