Scotland’s jobless total falls 13,000

Unemployment in Scotland fell by 13,000 to 216,000 during the final three months of 2010, official figures show.

The latest seasonally adjusted snapshot of unemployment north of the border shows a lower number for a third consecutive quarter and is in stark contrast to figures for the whole of the UK, which recorded a 44,000 rise to 2.49million.

Scotland’s latest unemployment rate stands at 8%, just above the UK average of 7.9%.

Employment in Scotland increased by 23,000 over the quarter, bringing the number of people with jobs to more than 2.4million.

However, year-on-year figures for Scotland tell a different tale, with the total number of people out of work up by 10,000 and employment down by 2,000.

The number of people out of work and claiming Jobseekers allowance last month was 139,700, up 1,400 since December and the fourth monthly rise in a row.

Enterprise Minister Jim Mather said the figures were a further sign of economic recovery and showed the Scottish Government’s “robust efforts” to support jobs, skills and training were making a difference.

He added: “For three consecutive monthly labour market statistics releases, we have seen falling unemployment and rising employment in Scotland, compared to rising unemployment and falling employment across the UK.”

Scottish Trades Union Congress general secretary Grahame Smith said: “Any fall in unemployment is to be welcomed but the entirety of the statistics does not provide any cause for celebration.

“The claimant count continues to rise, long-term unemployment is increasing on a number of measures, and employment remains far below pre-recession levels.”

Scottish Chambers of Commerce chief executive Liz Cameron said the figures were “another welcome sign” that the Scottish economy was recovering and that unemployment north of the border was falling back towards the UK average.

She added: “One note of caution is that the Scottish economic cycle still appears to be lagging against the UK, and we are yet to feel the full effects of public-sector cuts north of the border.

“This means that we are yet to face some serious economic challenges over the course of 2011.”

UK figures showed that the youth unemployment rate was now 20.5%, the highest since records began in 1992, after a 66,000 increase to 965,000 in the last quarter of 2010.

At prime minister’s questions, Labour leader Ed Miliband accused David Cameron of “betraying a whole generation of young people” by scrapping the previous administration’s Future Jobs Fund and allowing youth unemployment to rise.

Mr Cameron said the latest figures were a “matter of great regret” but stressed that youth unemployment had been a long-term problem, and that the government was taking action to improve education and back-to-work schemes.

Lucy McTernan, chief executive of Citizens Advice Scotland, said: “We published a report last week showing that the number of 18 to 24-year-old claimants had increased by a massive 70% since the recession started.

“We are seeing the creation of a lost generation of young Scots.”

Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray said young people were doing much worse in the recession than other groups, while Tory finance spokesman Derek Brownlee MSP urged caution in reading too much into the figures.

“There is still a pressing need for the Scottish and UK Governments to work together to help the private sector create new jobs,” Mr Brownlee said.