Number of unemployed in Scotland rises slightly
Unemployment in Scotland rose slightly in the last quarter, according to the latest figures.
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows the unemployment rate for people aged 16 years and over was 4.2% between February and April this year.
This was 0.4% up on the previous quarter but below the UK wide rate of 4.6%.
The employment rate for those aged 16 to 64 was 75% which was 0.9% up on the previous quarter.
The figures showed about 2.6 million people aged 16 and over in Scotland were in employment between February and April this year.
Scottish Government analysis found HMRC early estimates showed 2.44 million payrolled employees in Scotland in May 2025.
This was 8,000 lower than the number of payrolled employees in the previous month (April 2025) and was down 23,000 employees from May 2024.
Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “These figures show Scotland’s labour market remains resilient despite global challenges impacting the economy.
“It’s encouraging to see that the number of payrolled employees in Scotland remains high and their median monthly pay is higher than the UK overall.
“Our programme for government outlines measures to create jobs and drive growth.
“But we need firm action in tomorrow’s UK Government spending review – for example by fully funding the rise in employers’ national insurance contributions to vital public services like the NHS.”
UK Government minister for employment, Alison McGovern, said: “Supporting more people into work and putting more money in the pockets of working people is at the heart of our plan for change.
“That’s why we are transforming the way we help people into secure, well-paid jobs.
“Six months after we launched Get Britain Working, we are already seeing the benefits with economic activity at a record high, with 500,000 more people in employment since we entered office and real wages growing more since July than in the decade after 2010.
“People all over the country are benefitting from increased training opportunities and the newly launched Jobs and Careers Service will allow us to test new and innovative approaches to personalise employment support.”