BBC - Unemployment in Scotland has fallen by 14,000 in
the three months to March to reach 120,000, official figures have shown.
It takes the jobless rate to 4.4% - below the rate of 4.6% for
the whole of the UK.
The labour market statistics also show that employment in
Scotland increased by 5,000 and now stands at 2,620,000.
In the UK as a whole, the unemployment rate is at its lowest level in 42
years.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the Scottish
employment rate increased by 0.3 percentage points over the quarter to 74%. The
rate is below the UK average of 74.8%.
In April 2017, the number of people out of work and claiming
Jobseeker's Allowance was 48,200.
The claimant count, including Universal
Credit, was 80,000.
The Scottish government said the ONS figures also showed a
strong performance for Scotland in the female labour market, with the unemployment
rate for women falling by 0.7 percentage points over the year to 4.2%.
The youth employment rate was 3.9 percentage points higher
than the previous year, with the level rising by 15,000.
Economy Secretary Keith Brown said: "Today's statistics
show that Scotland's labour market continues to perform well in the face of
significant economic challenges.
"Unemployment is down, employment is up and Scotland's
youth unemployment rate is the fourth lowest in the EU. This is welcome news.
"We will work to support employment and our priority
remains developing the correct conditions for economic growth, including
through taking forward our multi-billion pound infrastructure plan, and the
Scottish Growth Scheme."
Mr Brown added that the Scottish government would continue
to tackle issues around inactivity in the labour market.
Source: BBC
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