WIREDGOV

European employment comparisons published.

Scotland is one of the leading countries in Europe for reducing female unemployment – second only to Germany.

Latest figures released by Eurostat, covering the period January to March 2015, also show that Scotland has the second highest rate of female employment across Europe.

Scotland’s female employment rate for the period stood at 71.1 per cent, only beaten by Sweden (72.4 per cent). The UK rate is four places behind at 67.4 per cent.

The figures for January to March 2015 show:

• Scotland had the second lowest female unemployment rate (5.2 per cent) amongst the EU 28 countries. Germany had the lowest female unemployment rate at 4.5 per cent;
• Scotland had the second highest female employment rate (71.1 per cent) amongst the EU 28 countries. Sweden had the highest female employment rate at 72.4 per cent;
• Scotland had the third lowest female inactivity rate (25.0 per cent) amongst the EU 28 countries. Scotland trailed Denmark (24.6 per cent) and Sweden (21.1 per cent).

Minister for Youth and Women’s Employment Annabelle Ewing said:

“Our improvements across women’s employment, unemployment, activity rates and closing the gender gap have been steady and consistent. Scotland continues to be a better place to be a working woman than elsewhere in the UK and these latest figures confirm that we are performing better than the majority of the 28 EU countries.

“We have all seen the challenges that have had to be overcome through the recession and we have made creating a fairer, more equal workforce a key to our economic recovery. Our commitment to leading the way on 50:50 gender representation on boards; to giving young people real hope and prospects for employment and a career and championing a true living wage that are bound together under our goal of fair work for all employees.

“We have made real progress on breaking down the traditional barriers that we inherited, but calling out and condemning inequality in the workplace in all its forms needs to continue until the playing field is truly equal and your gender or background is irrelevant because you are judged on your abilities and potential.

“Once again, these Eurostat figures are worth celebrating. Attitudes and business practices are changing for the better and Scotland continues to be among the best countries in Europe to be a woman in work.”

Notes To Editors

Eurostat data can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat. Please see attached maps for more information on Scotland’s place on female employment.