WIREDGOV

The number of young people unemployed in Scotland is at the lowest level for six years, figures published today reveal.

First Minister Alex Salmond welcomed the figures, published today by the Office for National Statistics, which show falling unemployment and increasing employment for people aged 16-24 in Scotland over the year to June to August 2014.

The Scottish youth unemployment rate is down by 5.6 percentage points over the year while the UK unemployment rate is down 5.1 percentage points over the year.

Now 72,000 young people are unemployed in Scotland – a drop of 29,000 over the year – and the lowest level since 2008.

The number of young people claiming Jobseekers Allowance has also fallen - 20,200 young people were on the claimant count in September 2014, a decrease of 9,900 (or 32.8 per cent) over the year.

Mr Salmond said: 

“These figures are another positive sign that youth employment in Scotland continues to increase and demonstrate that Scotland’s economic recovery is ongoing. 

“Scotland now has a higher employment rate, lower unemployment rate and lower inactivity rate for young people than the rest of the UK. Now, the number of young people unemployed in Scotland is at the lowest level for six years. 

“These figures also show that Scotland compares well internationally and remains among the top ten best performing countries in the European Union for youth unemployment.

“These statistics further reinforce the position that Scotland’s economy is going from strength to strength – last week alone we had confirmation that our GDP is increasing further beyond its pre-recession peak and employment levels are the highest since records began.”

Youth Employment Secretary Angela Constance said: 

“Consistent growth in employment shows that the policies of the Scottish Government to create jobs and boost the economy are making progress.

“We want to see employment opportunities for all of our young people and that is what we are working to achieve. 

“Our commitment to guarantee an offer of a place in training or education for all 16 to 19 year olds who need it through our Opportunities for All programme and our focus on supporting young people and employers is making a real difference. 

“We are determined to go further and I have set out early actions to deliver the recommendations of the Young Workforce Commission that will develop a world class vocational education system to match the best performing economies in the EU.”

“Even with the limited powers over the economy at our disposal, the country’s economic health is improving. With control over fiscal and economic policies, we can take a different approach focused on maintaining and building sustainable economic growth, do more to strengthen our economy and create jobs."

Notes To Editors

Youth data are not seasonally adjusted, therefore change over time should only be compared using the same period across years

Scotland performs well compared to other EU countries – only 9 of the EU 28 countries have a lower youth unemployment rate than Scotland.

Statistics: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl=Job+Statistics